According to a report from ABC13, three separate overnight fires prompted officials with the Houston (TX) Fire Department (HFD) to offer advice as a record heat wave continues across Texas.
The difficulty of operating under these conditions was exacerbated overnight Tuesday when the HFD responded to fires in a house, a vacant apartment building, and a warehouse.
The warehouse fire occurred at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on Schurmier near the South Beltway after it was suspected a box full of tires for semi-trucks started burning inside the open-air metal structure. That fire is now under investigation.
Next, the HFD was sent to a house fire at around 1:22 a.m. on Jutland Road near Tavenor. The house turned out to be unoccupied but suffered severe damage. Again, the cause of that fire is also under investigation.
Lastly, another fire was called in just after 1 a.m. at a vacant apartment building on the Gulf Freeway near Bessemer.
No injuries occurred in that incident, and arson investigators are now looking into the cause of that fire as well.
As a result, HFD Firefighters shared some advice as Texas residents continue to experience dangerously high temperatures.
HFD Deputy Chief James Pennington suggested that peoples’ air-conditioning was working properly and not overuse them, something that can start a fire.
Fire crews from multiple units needed to be rotated into service during these incidents so no first responders would suffer heat-related problems.
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