Winter Keeps Fire Crews Busy

Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2007

Firefighters through out South East South Dakota have been busy in the last few weeks. December 14th saw crews from five departments in the Mitchell area spent more than four hours fighting a fire that destroyed the Janitor's Express building on Mitchell's main street. The Yankton area has seen fires destroy an apartment, a hydraulics shed and two homes in the past week. The string of fires turned deadly Sunday morning when Fifty-year-old Arlys Dvorak of Sioux Falls was killed in a blaze that destroyed her families home.

Madison Fire Chief, Jerry Johnson, says the winter can be the busiest time for the year for firefighters.

Of course the problem with fighting a fire in the cold is that water tends to freeze, making an already dangerous situation even more hazardous. Three firefighters were treated for injuries after the downtown Mitchell fire, one for exhaustion, two others for ankle and knee injuries.

Johnson says the ice is something local fire crews are prepared for.

And while the number of fires does usually increase during the winter months, Johnson says there are things everyone can do to help prevent them. Always clear areas around space heaters and furnace's, never leave a stove unattended. And clear the snow from fire hydrants.