Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jeff Cooper from Salina Journal took this photograph of the Salina strip mall fire that caused $1M in damage

Winter hasn’t officially started but local fire departments are already responding to what they refer to as seasonal fires. Once the temperature starts to drop, people are inside more and using sources of heat that they haven’t used in months, said James Barber, assistant chief of fire prevention at the Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue.

The Charlottesville Fire Department already responded to a Montrose Avenue house fire on Nov. 24, which started because combustibles were placed too close to a space heater, said Battalion Chief Peter Sweeney.

Space heaters are the No. 2 cause of winter fires, second only to cooking fires, he added.

Firefighters stay busy from Thanksgiving through the New Year, with the holidays being a time for cooking, candles, decorations and, oftentimes, not paying close enough attention to what could start a fire.

“It seems like we always have a house fire on Christmas,” Sweeney said. “It’s a combination of the weather, heating and cooking.”

Barber added, “People’s lives are very busy. We’re trying to do too many things.”

Both Sweeney and Barber said the root of the problem is lack of maintenance when it comes to heaters, chimneys and holiday decorations.

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Categories: Fighting Fire, On the Fire Side
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