Casper Firefighters Extinguish 2 Blazes Overnight, No Injuries
Casper Fire-EMS crews dealt with two separate structure fires overnight, extinguishing both blazes quickly with no reported injuries.
The first fire occurred shortly before midnight at a residence in the 1100 Block of South Willow Street. Several callers had reported seeing smoke and fire, the Casper Fire-EMS Department said in a statement early Sunday.
Firefighters arrived to find a single family home ablaze. They quickly put out the flames and contained the fire to the building in which it began, which appeared to have been unoccupied at the time. No injuries have been reported in connection with that incident.
At 2:20 a.m., callers reported seeing a large amount of smoke and fire coming from a structure behind a business in the 1000 Block of Burlington Street.
Fire crews arrived to find the structure well involved in fire, with flames extending slightly to the adjacent business. Firefighters doused the flames with no reported injuries; the business in question was closed at the time.
Investigators responded to both blazes and remained on scene early Sunday, assisted by Casper police officers. Both investigations remained active Sunday morning.
The buildings in which each fire began have been deemed uninhabitable. The business sustained minor damage, but should be able to resume normal operations.
Casper Fire-EMS reminds citizens that working smoke alarms save lives.
"Take the opportunity to test every smoke alarm in your home, and replace the batteries if indicated. Make sure everyone in your home understands the sound of a smoke alarm and knows how to respond," Firefighter Dane Andersen wrote in Sunday's news release. "Newer smoke alarms are designed with non-replaceable (long-life) batteries, and are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years."
"If the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away," Andersen emphasized. "For smoke alarms that do not have non-replaceable batteries, take this Daylight Saving Time opportunity to initiate or continue a yearly replacement plan."
Multiple units and chief officers from Casper Fire-EMS responded to each blaze and were assisted at both scenes by the Casper Police Department, Wyoming Medical Center ambulances, technicians from Rocky Mountain Power and Black Hills Energy.