Local fire departments saw a surge in calls related to the Arctic freeze that struck the metroplex earlier this week, holding temperatures below freezing for 89 hours.
The Fort Worth Fire Department responded to no less than 26 calls regarding carbon monoxide, likely produced as citizens tried to keep warm, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Plano Fire-Rescue dealt with its own surge of calls throughout the cold weather event. The department reported the number of calls it received increased from 10 per hour to over 20 per hour in the 24 hours between January 16 and January 17, according to WFAA.
Lt. Daniel Daly of Plano Fire-Rescue told WFAA that, at one point, the department received 50 calls in just two hours. Daly also mentioned a house fire incident that occurred in the overnight hours of January 16 that resulted in a partial collapse of the home, saying the department has been “quite busy.”
“Temperature down in the teens has a way of doing that, unfortunately,” said Daly.
Now that temperatures have risen above freezing, departments are dealing with several other issues, such as damage from burst pipes.
The Grapevine Fire Department advised drivers to “slow down” as they travel during the cold weather, noting that one of its fire engines had been hit by a passing vehicle while the department was working on another accident in the morning hours of January 15. The department said it may be unable to help citizens if its personnel are injured or its equipment is damaged.
“We have now cleared the roadway of 10 smashed vehicles, and TxDOT has been called to sand the elevated bridge, but we don’t have a lot of extra fire engines, and neither does any city in the Metroplex, for that matter,” said the department on January 15. “So please, take a deep breath, leave a little earlier, and move over and slow down when you see first responders on the highways.”
