SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One Sacramento fire engine can dump nearly 500 gallons of water onto a house within minutes. The second dispatchers hear of a possible house fire, four of the engines, two fire trucks, two chiefs and an ambulance are routed to the scene.
They're always ready, but many firefighters would prefer to be in the warmth of the firehouse instead of responding to calls. However, the cool weather outside could mean more work.
"We see an uptick in calls for service due to HVAC systems... heaters getting kicked on. These heaters have been sitting dormant all summer, so once they do get kicked on, they have a little bit of dust on them, and it causes some type of burning scent," said Sacramento Fire Captain and Public Information Officer Justin Sylvia.
Odd smells are possibly the best case. Firefighters say it could get much worse.
"We also get a lot of calls for outside heaters that are being brought inside the home, and what that does is not only pose a fire hazard but it also poses an inhalation hazard for carbon monoxide poisoning," said Sylvia. "What we see with space heaters is them being in close proximity to something flammable so that constant heat on there will warm something up and then cause a fire."
Unfortunately, Northern California firefighters have already seen similar cases this season. On Nov. 10, Amador County firefighters say a propane tank attached to a heater was shooting flames 15 to 20 feet in the air. They were able to stop it.
Days later, there was a worst-case scenario: an RV caught fire near Lake Comanche on Nov. 15. Officials say the cause was a portable electric heater. One person had second-degree burns.
"We want to make sure that when we are using those space heaters, there's a lot of clearance around that," Sylvia said.
In Sacramento County within the last week, a Folsom woman died after a fire in her home was believed to have been linked to her fireplace. Days earlier, an elderly couple had to be rescued by neighbors after a fire broke out at their home. They were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Firefighters say many things could lead to fires this season including holiday decorations.
"These (Christmas) trees were cut several months ago and stored in a freezer, so they're already dry to begin with. So we want to keep them as moist as we can just to limit that fire exposure," Sylvia said. "With your Christmas lights... make sure you are checking those wires for any frayed wiring or anything that could potentially cause a spark or cause a fire... LED is the way to go."
A little bit of watering and preparation now could keep four, 500-gallon fire engines away from your home this season.
"Once a call comes in, we'd like to see us fully dressed within one minute," Sylvia said. "We're always at the ready."
Watch more from ABC10: Two critically injured in Sacramento house fire
