Cold weather and fireworks lead to numerous fires over holiday weekend

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Montgomery County saw its first fireworks related injury of 2018 just 7 minutes into the new year, when a 27 yr old male suffered head injuries from an exploding firework in the Porter area.

Montgomery County Firefighters and EMS also responded to a 45 yr old male in Magnolia with a leg injury from fireworks and a 22 yr old female in Willis with an eye injury caused by exploding fireworks.

All told, Firefighters responded to over 130 emergency calls overnight, including 7 structure fires and approximately a dozen grass and woods fires. The fires began early in the evening when Porter Firefighters responded to a chimney fire on Danielle Court. Just before 10 PM, Cut and Shoot, Caney Creek and North Montgomery County Firefighters responded to a residential fire on Crockett Martin. This fire was reported to have started in a bedroom and is under investigation.

Magnolia Firefighters responded just after midnight to a residential fire on Damon Court. That fire started when fireworks ignited a vehicle and the fire spread to the home. Magnolia Firefighters also responded to a barn fire that threatened to spread to a home on Meadow Edge Drive, and another fire burned a garage attached to a home on Red Oak in Magnolia. The cause of the barn fire is under investigation, but the fire on Red Oak started when fireworks debris was put in a trash can before it could cool, starting the garage on fire. A similar trash can fire ignited the front porch of a home on W. Heritage Oaks in Porter, and finally, North Montgomery County Firefighters responded to a chimney fire in the Woodland Lakes Subdivision.

With temperatures forecast to only get colder over the next couple of nights, residents are urged to be cautious when using alternative heat sources, such as space heaters and wood burning fireplaces. You should turn off portable space heaters before going to bed and make sure your home has working smoke alarms in every bedroom and hallway.

For those with leftover fireworks, officials urge caution as the passing cold front has left dry, windy conditions in its wake, and dead winter grass can easily be ignited by errant fireworks. While fireworks can be discharged year round, a little common sense and courtesy can go a long way in keeping your property safe and maintaining a good relationship with your neighbors. Don’t discharge fireworks in windy conditions or near dead, dry pastures or fields and notify neighbors that have pets or livestock that could be affected by the discharging of fireworks.

Residents are also asked to postpone outdoor burning until winds die down and if you do burn, please monitor your fire until it is completely out.