By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Cheney Fire Department responded to three fires all within a week of each other, though none caused serious damage.
The recent string of fires raises concern about the dry weather and warm temperatures as Cheney Fire Chief Mike Winters is getting ready for a busy fire season.
On July 6 a fire at 23 4th Street broke out when a new tenant moving into a building set a heavy box on the stove. Winters speculates a knob on the stove was bumped, inadvertently turning the burner on. Most of the damage was to the contents of the box. There was some damage to a cupboard.
Fire crews also had to enter the attic of the house to ensure the flames hadn't spread. Winters estimates damage at about $10,000.
On July 10 the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning. High temperatures, low humidity and high winds created critical fire conditions. The warning was received at 1:44 p.m.
The weather service said winds were estimated to be 9 mph at 9 feet above the ground and 20 mph at 20 feet above ground. Wind gusts across the county later reached 50 mph.
Shortly after 3 p.m. Cheney Fire Department and Fire District No. 3 responded to a call on the 2500 block of Nolan Brown Place for a blaze that had quickly spread to about 100 square feet. The blaze was in close proximity to the apartment complex on the 200 block of Simpson Parkway.
“We get a red-flag warning and then this happens,” Winters said.
He said fire crews had the flames extinguished in less than 10 minutes, but spent additional time ensuring there would be no flare ups.
“There was lots of flash fuel, but no real heavy fuel,” Winters said.
A spent Roman candle casing found at the fire's point of origin is suspect as the cause. Winters is reluctant to confirm whether or not it started the blaze.
He added that there was no structural damage, but a shed on a neighboring property was threatened.
“People leave brush piles and yard waste on their property,” Winters said. “Don't leave it laying around, take it away.”
Fire crews swung into action again on Thursday night when a garage fire was reported at 209 Third St.
The owner of the property, Mary Lenox, said the fire started on the ground in the alley behind her garage, which sits at the rear of her home. She has a compost pile behind her garage, but the flames started in a different area, so she knows it wasn't any kind of spontaneous combustion.
The cause of the fire is unknown but Lenox suspects it may have been a lit cigarette butt.
There is no estimate of damage. Lenox said her garage and its contents are, for the most part, a total loss. The garage's structure was heavily damaged.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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