HAMMOND, La. — As the temperature dropped, fires popped up across Hammond, the fire chief there believes the cause was people trying to stay warm.
Hammond Fire Chief Daniel Folks said firefighters were busy Tuesday morning after being called out to several incidents. He said he expects more fires throughout the night and into the morning.
Here in Louisiana, it's not often we drop down to freezing temperatures. Even late into the day, cars traveling through Hammond still had icicles hanging off them.
Tuesday morning Hammond fire crews were called out to three separate fires. One of them here at Salty Joe's BBQ, Fire Chief Folks says the restaurant filled with smoke after a heater started smoking.
Then he says a home on Kelly Drive in Hammond caught fire., Folks said, "It was burning when we got there, no one was inside and no injuries reported."
He says the cause of the second fire was a space heater.
"The third fire, someone was trying to thaw their water pipes with a torch, and through conduction, they caught some of the wall material inside and outside the home on fire," he said.
Chief Folks warns homeowners to never try and warm up frozen pipes, especially with something like a blow torch, saying, "The conduction is going to carry that heat and probably it's going to be in contact with some sort of flammable material and it could be burning inside your wall and you not even know about it."
Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller says if residents are in need of warmth the parish has an agreement with four local churches. President Miller told WWL Louisiana, "911 knows to call our emergency manager and make the connection to the church between first responders and the church we get them set up."
President Miller says Eastern Heights Water is experiencing issues with service, so residents who use the private water company need to heed caution.
"The citizens have Eastern Heights Water to conserve water, so the pressure can build back up in that system," he said.
Advice from Chief Folks, a space heater, is exactly that. It needs space so keep it in an open area. He suggests getting a newer one so it falls over it turns off. If you are using a fuel heating source, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector installed. Finally, always, this is for all seasons, have a working smoke alarm.
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