For Montgomery County firefighters, Saturday was busy to say the least. According to Asst. Fire Marshal Scott Burlin, 117 service calls were made, which included fires and automatic alarms.
Many commercial buildings had sprinkler system pipes that froze. As temperatures rose, the pipes thawed, activating sprinkler heads or breaking waterlines and causing the systems’ automatic water flow alarms to activate.
On Saturday night, three house fires were attributed to subfreezing temperatures. Burlin said a 9:15 p.m. house fire on Pincher Oaks off of Rayford Road was caused by a central heating unit.
The family, which includes an 8-year-old boy, was at the Monster Truck Show in Houston when someone called to tell them their house was on fire. The damage was extensive, but there were no injuries.
South Montgomery County Fire Department was assisted by the Woodlands and Needham Fire Departments.
Just after midnight, another fire broke out on Jackson Road near Cushing, in far northwest Montgomery County near Dobbin. The Montgomery Fire Department found a home/shop totally involved in flames.
Magnolia and Lake Conroe Fire Departments assisted them in bringing the fire under control. The building was a total loss, and the cause was determined to be a space heater. No humans were injured, but a female dog and her new born puppies died in the fire.
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A little after 3 a.m., South Montgomery County Fire Department, The Woodlands Fire Department and Needham Fire Rescue responded to a house fire on Orth at Patsy. The home sustained moderate damage. Oak Ridge North Police Chief Andy Walters said the fire was caused by a fireplace.
Burlin warns residents not to go to sleep with a fireplace going and make sure smoke detectors are working. He added that space heaters are meant for supplemental heat and not for large areas.
 
