Fire and rescue blotter

The Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to 215 calls for service between Dec. 22 and Dec. 28, among them the following:

DEC. 22

Sledding injuries: 3:30 p.m., (Lea Hill). Responding to a sledding accident, VRFA personnel treated a person who had gone off a jump while on a sled and landed on the icy street, possibly injuring his or her back. Personnel immobilized the person onto a back board and transported him or her to a local hospital for further treatment.

Frosty fireworks: 11:47 p.m., (Auburn). Units responded to an explosion in the 3300 block of 19th Street Southeast and learned that a small explosive device made of modified fireworks had been detonated in a snowman in the front yard of a residence. There was no property damage and personnel turned the scene turned over to Auburn Police for investigation.

DEC. 23

House fire: 1:05 p.m., (Auburn). Multiple VRFA units responded to the 2300 block of R Street Southeast to the report of a house on fire. On location, crews found an unoccupied, double-wide mobile home with fire pouring out of numerous windows. After knocking the fire down from outside, crews entered the residence to extinguish the rest of the fire and search for occupants. Fortunately, fire fighters confirmed that the house was vacant and no one was inside. Crews needed about 50 minutes to fully snuff the fire, which they found to be burning in empty spaces within the floor, ceiling, and walls. The fire investigator determined that the fire started in the home’s furnace. The home was destroyed.

Customer service provided: (Auburn). After completing an aid call and returning to their rig, firefighters David Swanson and Neil Pedersen noticed an elderly woman digging her car out from under snow and ice. They finished the job for her and asked the woman where she was headed. She told them that she was going to drive to the post office for stamps. Concerned about her safety on the icy roads, David and Neil persuaded her to stay home while they ran the errand for her. She agreed and gratefully accepted the stamps when they returned with them a little later.

Customer service received:

(Pacific). Personnel from Pacific’s VRFA Station 38 received a helping hand from Pacific’s Mayor and VRFA Governance Board Vice-Chair Rich Hildreth. They had just started to shovel snow and ice from the driveway in front of the fire station when a pickup pulled up and Hildreth jumped out. The mayor grabbed his own snow shovel from the back of his truck and helped the crew finish the job.

DEC. 24

Assault: (Auburn). Responding to a domestic dispute, personnel treated a 35-year-old woman who had sustained minor scrapes and lacerations in the altercation and released her.

DEC. 25

Sprinkler alarm: 8 p.m., (Auburn). Firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm in the 12700 block of Southeast 312 Street. The sprinkler system in an apartment had activated when the resident accidentally started an oil fire on the stove. Water damaged two units of the complex.

DEC. 26

Water leak: 9:18 a.m., (Auburn). Firefighters responded to a Lea Hill residence with a broken water pipe and found water dripping out of the siding and from under the garage door. The home appeared to be unoccupied, so personnel shut the water off at the garage inlet. The source of the leak was a broken water valve under the sink in the master bathroom. Personnel contacted the homeowner, and she arrived a short time later. She had moved out of the home in October and shut off the power, leaving a few windows open for ventilation. This likely caused the pipes to freeze, resulting in the pipe break.

DEC. 28

Vehicle fire: 12:01 p.m., (Pacific). Firefighters were dispatched to a car fire in the 800 block of Valentine Avenue. They found a commercial truck on fire with vehicles on either side in danger of burning. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, preventing damage to the adjacent vehicles.

Injuries from an assault: 9:58 p.m., (Auburn) Personnel responded with Auburn Police to a report of an assault. Aid 32 treated a 39-year-old woman with cuts and bruises to her face after being involved in a fracas with a male associate.

An ambulance transported her to ARMC for additional treatment of the injuries. Auburn Police are investigating.