Winter weather an additional adversary to firefighters this week
AUSTIN (KXAN) — “Busy” is the word Battalion Chief Justin Paog with the Westlake Fire Department used to describe what the past few days have been like.
Thursday morning, his crews responded to a smoldering home on Westlake Drive near the water. The fire started because of an accidental electrical issue, but the man and dog who live there are okay.
In the photo below, you can see a thin layer of ice forming a trail down the hill from a fire hydrant.
“We try to be mindful of the water so it doesn’t freeze over and cause an extra slip hazard,” he said.
Barton Springs Road condo fire results in $1.1 million in damages
Some of Poag’s staff also worked Wednesday night’s three-alarm fire at a condo complex on Barton Springs Road. That blaze displaces residents of 15 units.
The Austin Fire Department said Thursday that fire was also accidental, and started in the attic where an HVAC and other electrical services are.
“We used 73 firefighters, we did end up going to a third alarm just because of the frigid conditions, making sure everyone was able to rotate,” Assistant Chief Andre de la Reza said.
He also said icing was a concern as firefighters worked throughout the night.
“Luckily, we carry absorbents – sanding basically – materials we use that are able to mitigate those effects, sometimes you’ll see the water actually start to freeze on the structure, which makes things a little more dangerous, but we didn’t have those problems on this fire,” he said.
Space heater causes fire at north Austin business
Tuesday’s north Austin fire at a construction supply shop also required a roughly 75-firefighter response, AFD said.
That fire started because of a space heater. AFD offers the following tips for space heater use:
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heaters.
- Never leave heaters running unattended, especially while sleeping.
- Avoid extension cords; plug space heaters straight into the wall.
