GREAT FALLS — Great Falls Fire Rescue has been dealing with several fires over the past few weeks. If you feel like there’s more than usual, you're not alone. The issue is that a lot of these fires are caused by things that are completely preventable.
Great Falls Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Prevention Mike McIntosh said, “In the last month, it definitely seems like it has been a lot busier than the previous winter.”
McIntosh says that many of the fires have a uniquely specific cause.
McIntosh explains, “We've had at least five fires that have been started by cigarettes in the last month.”
They said that people will put their cigarettes out in a potted plant, and then they assume that they’re safe. with the high winds, that isn’t the case.
McIntosh said, “Your cigarette isn't out unless it's wet and out.”
Other common causes for fires are having combustible material too close to a heat source, which is what happened on Sunday night at the Ski’s Western Motel. MTN went to the motel and spoke to the owner, but they declined an interview. Overloaded outlets, chimney, fires, and candles too close to combustibles are also hazards.
McIntosh said, “Make sure that you always have at least three feet of clearance around any heat source, so that there's nothing that can come in contact with the combustibles.”
Great Falls Fire Rescue is staffed to handle individual fires. However, things get dicey when they need to call off duty workers back into the station when a fire is taking place.
McIntosh said, “A lot of times right now, our staffing issues is we can't fill those callbacks to come back and help protect the city. Therefore, a lot of times the city goes unprotected for fire service needs or EMS needs.”
Great Falls Fire Rescue thanks Malmstrom Air Force Base for helping in these scenarios.
