FIRES ABOUND ON MONDAY

Today's weather conditions make small fires tough to tame throughout Montgomery, Bucks counties

Multiple calls just in the past few hours have kept first responders on their toes all day

Credit: Sebastian Pociecha / Unsplash.com

Multiple calls just in the past few hours have kept first responders on their toes all day

  • Public Safety

Fire Prevention Week may have been last week (Oct. 6 to 12, 2024), but it is this week that seems to be starting out with a blaze.

From an afternoon brush fire in Fountainville, to call outs all throughout our readership area, there have been plenty of incidents to keep local fire companies bustling. While most residents have focused on the dipping temperatures, it is the winds today that have made for the perfect storm of easily lit brush and outdoor fires.

Today (Monday, Oct. 14) alone, the following callouts were made in our coverage areas alone.


Upper Dublin | Sandra Ave.

3:46 p.m.

Building Fire

Powerlines sparking due to branches touching them


Horsham | Keith Valley Road (Select Soccer Center)

3:45 p.m.

Electrical Fire Outside

Tree fell on wires


Upper Salford | Schwenksville Road at Spring Mount Road

Electrical Fire Outside

2:39 p.m.

Tree fell on wires affecting multiple poles, wires down and smoking


Abington | 1551 Huntingdon Pike (Redeemer Village Apartments)

Woods/Field Fire

2:42 p.m.

Fire in the grass and trees


Lower Gwynedd | Ambler Area YMCA

12:15 p.m.

Woods/Field Fire

Mulch on fire


Abington | Thomson Road

10:59 a.m.

Electrical Fire Outside

Tree and wires on fire


It is best not to burn any materials today, as the wind may pick up at any time. The grass and surrounding brush is dry enough to light.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the best ways to prevent such fires is to check weather and drought conditions. Other tips include:


  • Keep vehicles off of dry grass
  • Regularly maintain equipment and vehicles
  • Check tires, bearings, and axels on trailers/campers
  • Keep sparks away from dry brush


Some steps may sound like common sense, but fall can be a particularly optimal time for dry leaves, easily caught brush, and dry, dying grass. Use caution outdoors to prevent more incidents in our area.


author

Melissa S. Finley

Melissa is a 26-year veteran journalist who has worked for a wide variety of publications over her enjoyable career. A summa cum laude graduate of Penn State University’s College of Communications with a degree in journalism, Finley is a single mother to two teens, Seamus and Ash, her chi The Mighty Quinn, and the family’s two cats, Archimedes and Stinky. She enjoys bringing news to readers far and wide.