Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) The 2019 holiday season saw twice the number of structure fires in Wood County than the previous year.
“This year the awareness campaign ended with six fires which is a 100 percent increase compared to 2018, where three fires were recorded,” said Chief Scott Owen, Marshfield Fire and Rescue.
County fire departments tracked the number of fires as part of the Keep the Wreath Green fire safety awareness campaign, which runs annually from Thanksgiving to the end of the year. For each fire incident, a red bulb replaces a green bulb on a wreath hung outside fire stations.
This season was the 26th year of the campaign, which promotes fire prevention tactics such as keeping Christmas trees watered and monitoring candle usage.
“While we prefer to see zero fires, the campaign was a ‘success’ compared to previous years,” Owen said. “We are thankful for the relatively low number this holiday season.”
The highest number of fires reported during the campaign was 20 fires.
Keep the Forest Green, a wildfire safety awareness campaign, will begin March 1.
Author: News Desk
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