Severe Winter Weather in Midwest Causing Fires and Property Damage
Winter is a very dangerous season for fires and roof collapses and this year is turning out to be no exception to that rule. In Minneapolis, the huge, inflatable roof at the Metrodome stadium collapsed under the weight of heavy, wet snow over the weekend, forcing the Vikings to play the Giants at Ford Field in Detroit. Over 17 inches of snow fell in Minneapolis over the weekend where high winds kept workers from clearing the inflatable roof, leading to the collapse.
Four people lost their lives in fires the Twin Cities since this past weekend, including an early morning blaze Tuesday that claimed one woman’s life in Edina. There have been dozens of less serious building and automobile fires that has kept emergency crews busy in the sub-zero snow and cold from the weekend blizzard. A big fire totally destroyed a furniture outlet store in St. Paul this week.
The reason why winter fires are more common and usually more deadly in the winter is because people spend more time indoors and use their fireplaces and space heaters routinely. They also cook more and stoke up wood-burning stoves, many of which have not been properly cleaned and maintained. Further complicating matters is the fact that fire crews often have trouble locating hydrants in deep snow. In the Twin Cities, fire officials are asking neighborhood residents to help clear snow from the between 7 and 8,000 hydrants in St. Paul and Minneapolis so fire departments can locate them. This will undoubtedly help to save precious time during a fire and can save both property and lives.
Another reason there are more fires during the winter is that more people are smoking indoors and using candles. Homeowners should remember never to leave a candle unattended and to clear snow that is piling up outside exit doors. A door that is snowed in may as well be locked and if a fire is threatening lives indoors behind locked doors, death is a very real possibility.
The Midwest is under the grips of a severe cold snap which stretches as far south as Florida. The first blizzard of the season crippled several Midwestern states from parts of the Dakotas, western Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and sections of northern Ohio. Wind gusts exceeded 50 mph in Chicago over the weekend where many downtown roofs fell in from the weight of heavy, wet snow. Frigid temperatures are expected to remain as will strong winds for the good part of this week. The 17.1 inches of snow that dumped on Minneapolis was its largest, single snowfall since 1991 and the 5th biggest snow on record for the Twin Cities.
