Fire departments respond to multiple fires

DICKINSON - The Dickinson Volunteer Fire Department reportedly responded to two unrelated fires on Wednesday.

Chief Bob Sivak said the department received the first call at about 7:26 a.m. to a fire in an Arizona man’s vehicle. Freddie Minor’s vehicle had ignited in the Arby’s parking lot.

“It was an oil leak,” Sivak said. “It got on the exhaust … and started smoking.”

Sivak said the department responded with two fire trucks and eight firefighters.

“There were some flames, but when he stopped the car, then it went out,” Sivak said. “We made sure the fire was out and there wasn’t any extension to other parts of the car …”

He added that the fire did not spread past the vehicle and nobody was injured in the incident.

The department left the scene at about 7:44 a.m.

Sivak said the department also responded to a fire at Larry Clifton’s residence on First Avenue East. He said the call came in at about 10:04 a.m.

“When the owner came home, he found the main floor filled with smoke,” Sivak said. “The dryer actually had started on fire in the basement.”

He added that clothes hanging near the dryer and sitting on top of the dryer had caught fire.

“As it was beginning to spread to the house itself, a water line came apart in the basement due to the heat and put the fire out,” Sivak said.

The fire department responded with 10 firefighters and two trucks, but the fire was extinguished when they arrived, Sivak said.

He added that the situation could have been much worse had the water line not burst.

“It was within moments of a very serious situation,” Sivak said.

He added that the fire appeared to have ignited in and around the controls of the dryer.

There was light fire damage in the basement and light to moderate smoke damage throughout the home.

The Dickinson Rural Fire Department reported on Wednesday that they responded to a grass fire on Tuesday at about 5:30 p.m.

Assistant Chief Andy Paulson said the department received a report of a fire on Duane and Lee Dvorak’s property southwest of Dickinson.

“It was just grass that burned,” Paulson said.

He added about an acre to an acre and a half of grass burned.

“The cause of the fire is really undetermined,” Paulson said. “We really couldn’t find where it did start.”

He added that the firefighters left the scene at about 7:30 p.m.

Tags: fire, departments, respond, to, multiple, fires