Holidays breed more fires, captain says
Fire departments responded to a call about an oven fire at 307 Eau Claire St. Thursday afternoon — a common occurrence on holidays, according to a fire captain on scene.
Although the oven fire yielded only some smoke damage and no injuries on Thanksgiving Day, Kevin McAfee, a captain for the Butler Bureau of Fire, said it is important for house cooks to check their ovens before use, especially if they haven’t been used for a while.
“It’s always good to check the oven … most people don’t use their oven much,” McAfee said. “Once you turn your oven on, anything that’s in there could catch fire.”
The call for the fire came in slightly before 1:25 p.m. Crews, which also included the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, VA Butler Healthcare Fire Department and Butler Ambulance Service, left the scene by 1:55 p.m.
According to McAfee, the Butler fire department had its usual number of staff members on the clock Thursday, although generally, holidays yield more fire calls than your average day.
“We get a few more calls on holidays for fires,” McAfee said.
