Fire officials urging caution when using heating lamps
(Guadalupe County) – Fire safety warnings are being shared this week following a pair of fires reported during the same hour last week in Guadalupe County.
The first fire was reported at 3 p.m. Thursday in the 600 block of Foster Lane. Patrick Pinder, the Guadalupe County emergency management coordinator and fire marshal, says the fire is being blamed on a heating lamp.
“When York Creek Fire Department arrived on scene, they observed a detached garage with smoke and fire showing from one of the rooms. The fire in that one ended up starting from a chicken coop that was next to the detached garage. The heat lamp inside that chicken coop was the cause of that. The chicken coop caught on fire and ended up catching the house on fire,” said Pinder.
Pinder says the fire left behind not only damaged property but dead chickens.
“The coop was a total loss. The structure had some fire damage on the exterior wall and the interior wall had some water and heat damage. Fire crews were able to get it in time and extinguish it,” said Pinder.
With the winter season expected to be even colder in the months ahead, Pinder advises residents to be extra careful when keeping themselves and their animals warm.
“We have seen a few of these heat lamp fires over the last few weeks. These heat lamps, when you are putting them out there, make sure they are a safe difference from either the bedding for the animals or the exterior walls of these structures, make sure the screws are tight. What we are seeing is the screw that is holding the clamp in the heat lamp on comes loose and the heat lamp will fall into the bedding and usually that is what catches on fire is the bedding or hay or straw. We always recommend that you don’t use any hay or grass products. You have to keep your animals warm, and we understand that, so we have seen I think during the last week, three heat related –two heat lamps and one heater fire,” said Pinder.
Pinder says on this same day, it didn’t take long for area fire fighters to be called out to yet another fire.
He says this second fire was reported just minutes later at 3:27 p.m. near Kingsbury.
“While crews were responding to the Foster Lane fire, a second structure fire was reported at the 4900 block of Gravel Pit Road. I was the first arriving unit to respond to that fire. I just happened to be on the street at a different location. Upon arrival, I observed a fully involved structure fire. It was a residential structure unoccupied. By the time I got to the home, it was just about the time where the whole structure collapsed. It was a late 1800s, early 1900s home, solid wood frame so when it went up, it burned pretty quickly with all of that dry wood,” said Pinder.
Pinder says it’s been a busy season for fire fighters and applauds all efforts. Units responding to the Foster Ln fire include Kingsbury, Guadalupe County Fire and Rescue, Seguin, Lake Dunlap, McQueeney and the Luling Fire Department.
Those on hand to help battle the blaze on Gravel Pit include York Creek, San Marcos and Guadalupe County Fire and Rescue.