More Brush Fires, Heat Exposure Calls for Firefighters

This summer's extreme heat brought more brush fires, heat exposure incidents and other emergencies, according to the Mehlville Fire Protection District.

The fire district covers several neighborhoods in the Affton area, including Lemay, Green Park, Concord, Sappington, Tesson Ferry and Mattese. The district also works closely with the , especially in periods of extreme heat, like the area has experienced recently.

For more fire news, sign up for the Affton-Shrewsbury Patch newsletter.

The fire that completely  in April was one of 18 house fires the Mehlville fire district put out in the last three months. No deaths were reported.

The number of fires was included in a call summary report released by the district for the second quarter of the year. Firefighters and paramedics responded to 3,216 calls, averaging about 1.5 calls an hour to one of the district’s seven fire houses.

Firefighters also responded to 179 vehicle accidents and more than 400 sick cases.

With nine days of 100-degree heat, paramedics responded to six incidents of heat or cold exposure, which is higher than the one incident reported in the first quarter.

There were also 27 brush fires in the area, up from 18 in the first part of the year.

From January to March, Mehlville firefighters responded to 3,153 calls, and increased by 63 from April to June. Here are a few other calls and the difference between second and first quarters:

• 341 calls from a fall, up from 336
• 252 difficulty breathing calls, down from 298
• 242 chest pain calls, down from 247
• 143 unconscious or unresponsive people, down from 152
• 80 fainting calls, up from 66
• 33 overdose calls, down from 36
• 23 car fires, up from 21 first quarter
• Cars struck 10 people, up from 7
• 6 stabbing or gunshot calls, down from 8