Valley firefighters reponds to 180 emergency calls

Valley Fire handled 180 emergency calls during the week between May 22 and Monday.

Of those, eight were reported as structure fires, including a report of smoke at 1:16 a.m. on May 22 at Goodtymes Bar and Grill.

“We got there before the fire had really taken off,” said Valley Fire spokesman Bill Clifford.

Lights appeared to have ignited material on the exterior of the building, he said.

At 4:42 a.m. Sunday, firefighters were called to a residential area on Evergreen Road where a brush fire damaged out buildings on two properties, Clifford said. The total damage was estimated at $15,000 and the fire remained under investigation this week.

Other incidents included a vehicle fire, two brush fires, eight fire alarms and 134 emergency medical calls.

There were also three hazardous materials calls, including a severed gas main May 23 that evacuated Pasadena Park Elementary.

A contractor cut through a 2-inch gas line, and children were evacuated to another school until the leak was fixed, Clifford said.

During the seven-day period that included Memorial Day weekend, there was a sharp increase in vehicle accidents, with 23 reported and six resulting in trips to the hospital, Clifford said.

Also, on Tuesday night a fire caused an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 in damage to a residence at 311 N. Sargent Road, he said.