BILLINGS- — American Red Cross of Montana and the Billings Fire Marshal say they have responded to an increased number of house fires across the state this year.
Mike Spini, the Billings Fire marshal, says the number has been increasing since the beginning of 2021. Spini added that its not only house and structure fires, but rather the number of fires in every category has gone up.
“It’s just a growing trend. As our city gets bigger, there's more of a demand for us, for public safety,” says Spini.
“We’ve responded to over 90 home fires in Montana and that is up over 25% over last year,” added Diane Wright, the executive director of the American Red Cross of Montana.
Because of the drastic increase, the American Red Cross is urging Montanans to take advantage of their free virtual training, which can be done over the phone, or a digital platform such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
“On average, you have only two minutes to escape a house fire, so having a plan can be the difference between life and death,” says Wright.
Spini says to keep on the lookout for safety messages and regulations as drought conditions worsen and temperatures increase.
