Week’s emergency calls include six structure fires

After several busy weeks driven by emergencies related to cold weather, calls to the Valley Fire eased some last week.

There were 177 calls to the agency between Jan. 30 and Monday, down from 216 the week before.

Among them were reports of six structure-type fires, said Valley Fire spokesman Bill Clifford.

One started when drapes placed too close to a torchier-style lamp ignited, causing minor damage to the room.

Similar lamps have been recalled in the past because the lampshade designed to reflect light upward funnels material to the hot bulb, and Clifford said homeowners should be careful to keep flammable materials away from any heat source, including lights.

Another call involved warming fires built on the ice at Liberty Lake, which fire officials strongly advise against.

There were 12 fire alarms reported, most false. Alarms from carbon dioxide detection systems were among them, and Clifford said batteries in those detectors need to be routinely tested and replaced just like smoke detectors.

Of 14 vehicle accidents, most were minor and only one required a trip to the hospital, Clifford said.

Last week there were a total of 140 emergency medical calls and four service calls for things like lockouts and water problems.