Springdale Firefighters Respond To Two House Fires In 13 Hours

Freezing Temperatures Create Difficulties For Firefighters

STAFF PHOTOS ANTHONY REYES 
Springdale firefighters direct water to the roof of a house Monday at 2206 Monticello Place in Springdale. After the fire spread into the attic, firefighters were forced to evacuate the house and fight the fire from the exterior.
STAFF PHOTOS ANTHONY REYES Springdale firefighters direct water to the roof of a house Monday at 2206 Monticello Place in Springdale. After the fire spread into the attic, firefighters were forced to evacuate the house and fight the fire from the exterior.

— Wendell Ridenour heard an explosion and saw flames shoot from the house at 2206 Monticello Place.

Ridenour lives directly behind the house next door to the fire. He said he called 911 when he saw the flames, but was told others had already called.

A 911 call came in at 9:22 a.m. Monday, said Capt. David Kissinger, public information officer with the Springdale Fire Department. It was the second structure fire in 13 hours to which Springdale firefighters were dispatched.

At A Glance

Recent Springdale Residential Fires

Jan. 6 — House fire at 2206 Monticello Place. No one was injured.

Jan. 5 — House fire at 8611 E. Wagon Wheel Road. One firefighter was taken to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale after becoming lightheaded.

Dec. 29 — Apartment fire at 202 Carter Ave. Apt. 3. No one was injured.

Source: Staff Report

“When our units arrived, the residence was heavily involved,” he said of the Monticello fire.

The entire street was enveloped in gray and black smoke which poured from the garage and attic. Flames shot into the sky from the roof as a firefighter sprayed water into the house. A Hummer and Honda Element sat in the driveway, the front of both vehicles burned and black.

Robert Longmate owns the house that caught fire, and lives there with his wife and mother, said Shannon Downum, a family friend who lives on Pin Oak Street. Downum said he heard an explosion and saw smoke and fire coming from the garage before he jumped his back fence to get to Monticello Place.

Longmate and his wife, Cindy, did not want to speak about the fire with reporters Monday.

The residents were at their neighbor’s house when the fire happened, said Kissinger. No one was injured. He said the cause of the fire was under investigation, but there were reports of a lot of ammunition in the garage.

Firefighters pulled blackened objects from the garage, while another firefighter came out the front door, his arms full with a pile of framed family photos.

Part of the structure is brick and can be saved, said Randy Sitze, operations manager with Pruden Restoration. He was called to the scene by officials at the Longmates’ insurance company. The wooden structure of the house will have to be rebuilt, and complete restoration will take five to eight months, he said.

A house at 8611 E. Wagon Wheel Road caught fire Sunday night, said Michael Irwin, fire chief. The 911 call came in at 8:15 p.m., and the fire was out at about 9. The fire started as a flue fire which extended into the attic.

Irwin didn’t know the names of the two residents, but said they were able to escape the house by the front door. Neither resident was injured.

Benton County property records show the owners to be James A. Mallard and Julie G. Rollins.

Fast Facts

Winter Home Fires

905 people die in home fires each winter.

$2 billion in property loss is reported as a result of home fires in the winter.

67 percent of winter fires happen in one- and two-family homes.

The top cause of home fires in the winter is cooking.

The most common time for home fires to happen in the winter is between 5 and 8 p.m.

Source: www.usfa.fema.gov

A firefighter was taken to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale after becoming lightheaded while fighting the fire inside the structure, Irwin said. He didn’t know if the firefighter had been released from the hospital Monday, but said he is doing OK.

Winter weather and freezing temperatures make it difficult to fight fires, Kissinger said. It takes longer for firefighters to get to the scene because of road conditions. Water also freezes quickly.

“Everything becomes hazardous,” he said.

When fire trucks arrived Monday at the fire on Monticello Place, there was a thin coating of ice on the street. After two hours, water from the fire hoses had frozen into a thick layer of ice and some slush.

In cold weather, ice tends to form on breathing equipment and radios, Irwin said. Water in fire hoses can also freeze.

The temperature in Springdale on Monday at 12:48 p.m. was 7 degrees with a wind chill of minus 10, according to the National Weather Service website. There was a wind chill advisory in effect until 6 p.m.

A larger number of house fires is normal in the winter because people are using heaters and fireplaces, Irwin said. The temperatures this year are colder than normal.

“People are trying to keep warm,” he said.

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