|
Fireworks caused the damage at this home on the corner of Dillingham Land and Union Mill Road over the weekend. (Photo by Mike Rupard/Jessamine County Fire District / July 11, 2012) |
The Jessamine County Fire District saw a record number of calls in the first week of July, including two major fires over the weekend.
In the first nine days of the month, they responded to 29 calls ranging from minor alerts to raging grass fires.
In June, they responded to nearly 80 calls, and fire chief Mike Rupard said he expects July to be even busier.
“It’ll be a busy month, but the county is prepared to handle it,” he said.
Tossed cigarette butts have started more than their fair share of the fires, and Rupard urges practicing caution because of the dry nature of the grass.
The first major fire over the weekend was out at an abandoned barn at 2140 Bethel Road starting about 11 p.m. Friday and could be seen by neighbors blocks away. The embers also caught the grass on fire before firefighters arrived.
By midnight, the fire was under control. The cause of the fire is unknown, and no one was at the barn when firefighters arrived.
Rupard said he did not suspect foul play and was not going to call in an investigation unit; however, the owner’s insurance company may conduct its own investigation.
The second major fire started Saturday at a house on the corner of Dillingham Lane and Union Mill Road.
According to Rupard, a 9-year-old boy was playing with fireworks in front of his home when they caught fire to the grass. The accidental blaze there burned the siding of the house, reaching up to a top-floor room in through the window.
There were no injuries reported in either incident.
