By MARK AGEE
Texas — A nearly record number of December fires have kept Arlington firefighters busy and drained Red Cross resources, officials said.
Firefighters battled 43 fires between Dec. 1 and Monday, compared with 41 in December 2004, according to the Arlington Fire Department. That doesn’t include Tuesday’s grass fires. Most months, the department battles 35 to 40 fires, officials said.
Even worse, many fires this year have been large, Assistant Fire Marshal Stephen Lea said. On several occasions, crews have been called to simultaneous two-alarm fires, which Lea called extremely rare.
“As the city ages, there are going to be more fires from fireplaces and things failing, but I think it’s mostly a bad run of luck we’ve had,” he said.
Lea, who has been with the department for 25 years, said the three weeks after Thanksgiving were the busiest period he can remember.
The crew at Station 1 on Main Street responded to 32 calls during one shift in mid-December, fire investigator Keith Ebel said.
“What keeps us busy is people trying to stay warm,” Ebel said. “They are breaking out devices and heating methods they don’t usually use, like space heaters and fireplaces. Either they don’t know how to use them correctly or they aren’t properly maintained.”
Between Thanksgiving and Monday, the American Red Cross responded to 170 fires in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, spokeswoman Anita Foster said. The Red Cross provides shelter and money to families displaced by fires.
Between Thanksgiving 2004 and Jan. 1, the Red Cross responded to 150 fires.
Most of this year’s fires have been in Tarrant County, Foster said. In a 48-hour period in early December, the Red Cross responded to 17 Tarrant fires, she said.
“It’s been unreal,” Foster said. “We don’t seem to be having any relief. My pager is going off right now with a fire. It’s been nonstop.”
The Red Cross doesn’t keep statistics by city, so no numbers were available for Arlington.
The Chisholm Trail chapter of the Red Cross -- which serves Tarrant, Parker, Johnson, Wise and Hood counties -- has spent more than double what it did last year helping families after fires. The organization’s fiscal year begins in July. Through mid-December 2004, the chapter spent $48,000; this year, it has spent more than $125,000 since the start of its fiscal year, Foster said.
For an organization depleted by relief efforts for two hurricanes, the fires are proving costly.
The Chisholm Trail chapter ended the last fiscal year with a $400,000 deficit, and that was before the hurricanes hit, Foster said.
“But you have to do what you have to do,” Foster said.
“We’ve thrown everything we had on the table, and we’ll worry about how to pay for it later.”
Ebel said there is little explanation for this year’s glut of fires.
“I wish there was something we could point to, something we could put our finger on, because then we could take steps to prevent it,” Ebel said. “It’s just the normal winter and holiday causes -- just a lot more of it. People just need to be more careful in general.”
IN THE KNOW
Preventing fires
Each year in the United States, holiday-season fires injure 2,600 people and cause over $930 million in damage, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, part of the Homeland Security Department. Many of those fires could have easily been prevented, according to the agency’s Web site.
Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
Clear the area around the hearth of flammable materials.
Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots and gaps in the insulation.
Do not overload electrical outlets or link more than three strands of lights unless the directions say it is safe.
Periodically check the wires -- they should not be warm to the touch.
Do not leave holiday lights on unattended.
More information: www.usfa.fema.gov (http://www.usfa.fema.gov)
SOURCE: U.S. Fire Administration