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Aberdeen fire officials report three recent home fires, urge smoke-detector checks
Summary
City Manager Dave and fire official Joel briefed the council on three recent residential fires, saying they are not connected and offering free smoke-detector installation; one fire was ruled accidental, another remains undetermined.
City Manager Dave updated the City of Aberdeen council on Jan. 5 about upcoming partner meetings and introduced a fire-department briefing on several recent fires.
Fire official Joel told the council the recent incidents were not related and said, "We don't have an arsonist in Aberdeen." He provided a brief status on three home fires: the Dec. 23 fire in the 1100 block of 8th Avenue SE remains under investigation; the Dec. 30 fire in the 900 block of South Klein Street has been classified as "undetermined" pending evidence collection; and the Dec. 31 fire in the 500 block of 11th Avenue SE was determined to be accidental.
Joel gave fire-safety guidance to residents: do not place combustible materials within three feet of stoves, do not leave cooking unattended, and test smoke detectors regularly. He said the fire department can provide and install smoke detectors at no charge and provided a department phone number on the record: (605) 626-7048.
Council members thanked the department for its response. The department said evidence collection is ongoing for at least one incident and encouraged residents to report safety concerns.
No arrests or suspects were reported during the council briefing and the department emphasized there is currently no evidence indicating an arsonist responsible for the string of fires.
