For the period of Friday February 27, 2009 to Thursday March 5, 2009 the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 94 calls for assistance.
Saturday February 28 - The smell of burning rubber filled the 7400 block of Niagara Falls Blvd shortly before 4:30 PM. The operator of the vehicle pulled the vehicle to the side of the road when he believed that his vehicle was on fire. He ran to a nearby commercial establishment and was given a fire extinguisher. Firefighters arrived on the scene and found the majority of the fire extinguished and as a precaution applied additional water to complete extinguishment. The owner had recently had some repair work done to the brakes and it is believed that a malfunction caused the wheel to lock up resulting in a tire fire.
Sunday March 1 – The area of 24th street and Whitney Avenue was the location of a series of suspicious outside fires that were reported between 1 AM and 2 AM. At 1:36 AM firefighters were dispatched for a rubbish fire adjacent to a garage. The fire was extinguished before any damage took place to the garage. At 1:59 AM firefighters were again sent to the area for another fire involving rubbish. This fire was also extinguished before any property damage could occur. Both of these fires are considered suspicious and are under investigation.
Sunday March 1 – A fire extinguisher was maliciously set off inside a hotel in the 200 block of Rainbow Blvd at 4:19 AM. The chemical from the extinguisher resulted in the buildings fire alarm activating which in turn caused occupant to believe that the building was on fire. Firefighters investigating the alarm activation found the discharged extinguisher in a stairwell and were quickly able to allow occupants to return to their rooms. Evidence from this crime is being processed for both fingerprints as well as other forensic material.
Monday March 2 – The winds accompanied by warmer weather resulted in an increase in a number of fires involving brush and other material. Many of these fires are the result of discarded smoking material. Residents are reminded that outside fires are not permitted within the city and that these types of fires can quickly spread to structures and nearby vehicles.
Daylight Savings Time began early Sunday morning. Residents should have set their clocks ahead one hour. This is also a good time to both change the batteries in your smoke alarms and perform some routine maintenance. Each smoke alarm should be vacuumed out to remove any cobwebs or dust that may have accumulated in the alarm. A properly installed and working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chance of survival should a fire occur. More then 80% of all fatal fires occur in homes and smoking is the number one cause of all fatal fires.
