4th of July Fire at Stillhouse Hollow Lake Among 21 Grass Fires Reported
Have you ever heard the saying "this is why we can’t have nice things"? At this point, I’m thinking they’re talking about Belton, Texas, and what occurred this July 4th holiday.
WHAT HAPPENED AT STILLHOUSE HOLLOW LAKE?
According to the Harker Heights Fire Department, multiple fire departments from across Bell County were dispatched to the area of the longbridge across Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Around 3 acres of land were aflame. Thankfully, fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze fairly quickly and with no injuries or damage to property. Janell Ford with the City of Killeen wrote in a news release that there were reports of fireworks having been fired off in the area, but the cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday.
According to Ford, all 10 Killeen Fire Department suppression units were at the scene of that fire. That is just insane, and we're lucky they weren't immediately needed elsewhere.
BELL COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS WERE VERY BUSY THIS 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND
Ford went on to report that area firefighters had a lot on their plates this weekend.
Between 7PM July 4 and 1AM July 5, there were 21 grass fires, a dumpster fire, a burning fence, and a grass fire that damaged a house, all due to fireworks. Bell County officials report that 600 calls were made to 911 between 3PM and 11PM Monday - double the number they typically receive during a normal shift. Over 95 people were given verbal warnings to stop using fireworks in city limits.
MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
Most of us know that it's illegal to set off fireworks within city limits, but let's be real - a lot of people just don't care. There's supposed to be a $2,000 fine for each incident, but does anyone ever actually get fined?
Anyway, given the dry, hot conditions we typically experience this time of year, it's almost inevitable that our firefighters will be extra busy as people who have no clue what they're doing launch fireworks where they shouldn't.
Even though the holiday is over, you know you'll be hearing the occasional firework going off next door through the rest of the week.
Let's just hope those noisy neighbors don't burn your house down.
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