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Fewer Fires the First Half of this Year in Springfield

Tim Balogh
/
Flickr

The first half of 2015 has seen a significant drop in fires in the city of Springfield.  The number of fires fell 28 percent from the first half of 2014.  Last year between January 1st and July 1st, there were 484 fires in the city, and during the same period this year there were 349.

Structure fires also fell 28 percent this year—dropping from 173 during the first half of 2014 to 124 so far in 2015.

According to the Springfield Fire Department, cooking fires remain a top concern.  They’ve been the cause of 23 percent of all structure fires so far in 2015.  Other top causes so far this year are home heating, careless smoking, intentional and electrical.

The fire department offers these tips to reduce the risk of cooking fires:  keep combustibles at least three feet away from cooking equipment; never leave food on the stove unattended and don’t leave the house with the oven on.

To reduce the risk of injury if a cooking fire occurs, fire officials say to make sure all smoke alarms in your house are working, always evacuate when a smoke alarm sounds, have a fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it and never try to carry a flaming item out of a room.

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.