Conroe, Tx January 10, 2010:
Montgomery County Firefighters responded to 117 calls for service on Saturday. This reflects an approximate 25% increase in call volume, mostly due to weather related calls. The most serious calls continue to be structure fires with several reported overnight.
Just after midnight last night, Montgomery and Magnolia Firefighters braved temperatures in the teens while fighting a fire at 4711 Jackson Rd, in Southwest Montgomery County. The residents awoke to fire in the rear of the home and firefighters reported the home was heavily involved upon arrival.
South Montgomery County Firefighters responded to two overnight structure fires with the worst occurring around 9 PM last night at 2110 Pincher Creek Dr in Imperial Oaks. SMCFD Deputy Chief Paul Brown reported that fire was coming through the roof of the home upon arrival of firefighters. South Montgomery County Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control with the assistance of Firefighters from Needham, Timberlakes and The Woodlands. Chief Brown reported that the home was heavily damaged and the American Red Cross was called to assist the family.
Chief Brown reported that a second fire at 27229 Orth, in the City of Oak Ridge North, apparently started from the home’s chimney just after 3 AM. Montgomery County Emergency Services District #8 (South Montgomery County Fire) covers the City of Oak Ridge North and all other unincorporated areas of Montgomery County SE of The Woodlands. For more information about the cause of this fire contact The City of Oak Ridge Fire Marshal.
Other weather related calls for service included numerous false alarms due to alarm malfunctions or broken water lines. Many of these incidents involved commercial buildings, but as broken pipes thawed and began to leak, a lack of available plumbers led to numerous calls from homeowners with broken water lines. Cold weather and broken pipes have area plumbers in high demand, leading Firefighters to assist at numerous locations, helping turn off the home’s water until they could arrive.
Most broken water pipes appear to be located on the outside of buildings or in areas of buildings exposed to hours of subfreezing temperatures and at least one report of smoke coming from a building turned out to be steam created by a broken lawn sprinkler system near a commercial building.
Numerous Fire Alarm calls have also been attributed to broken water lines, system malfunctions or pressure surges due either to water line breaks or restoration of water after repairs. A few calls have been for Carbon Monoxide alarms as well. In these cases Firefighters have responded and checked the homes for the presence of Carbon Monoxide, a deadly gas produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as natural gas or propane, kerosene, etc.
Although it has been a busy weekend for firefighters, fortunately there have been no reported serious injuries or deaths at this time. We urge residents to remain vigilant. The number one priority during this time is to make sure that your home and family are protected with working smoke detectors. Carbon Monoxide detectors should be installed on each floor in any home that uses fossil fueled heating equipment.
For information about heater safety go to our website
Jimmy Williams
Montgomery County Fire Marshal
Chief Paul Brown
South Montgomery County Fire Dept
281-363-3473
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