Lincoln Fire and Rescue didn't get a much of a break Friday night, with four house fires and temperatures as low as 5 degrees.
"It's pretty unusual," Lincoln Fire Investigator Chuck Schweitzer said Saturday. "We see more house fires during the cold weather caused by heaters."
Heaters caused two of the fires Friday night, and the other two were cause by electrical problems, Schweitzer said.
"Last time we had a night like this was New Year's Eve," he said. "We had five fires that night."
Friday's first fire, at 6:30 p.m., was caused when a kerosene heater ignited in a garage.
The house at 4432 N. 65th St., sustained $85,000 in damage, Schweitzer said.Â
The second fire started in the detached garage of a home at 2786 S. 35th St. at about 8:30 p.m.
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Lorena Corral was watching TV with her two kids when her boyfriend came home and told them there were flames shooting from the garage.
Corral and her children got out of the house. No one was injured.
When firefighters arrived, the garage was engulfed in flames, Capt. Dean Delaney said. Fire had spread to a window well of the home, but was quickly extinguished and caused only minor damage.
As firefighters worked to put out the flames, Delaney said there were several minor explosions caused by paint cans and a propane tank attached to a grill.
A short in an electrical outlet caused the fire, which left the garage a total loss, along with $10,000 damage to the contents, Schweitzer said.
"It's so surreal," Corral said between tears. "We're lucky we just made it out. I'm glad everyone is OK."
The third fire started at 10:19 p.m. in the living room of a duplex at 4209 Touzalin Ave. because of an electrical short in an extension cord, Schweitzer said.
The residents escaped without harm, Chief Rick Schneider said.
Schneider estimated damages of $75,000 to the structure and $30,000 to the contents.
Firefighters were called to the fourth fire at 1:30 a.m. It started in a furnace in the basement of a house at 882 S. 36th St.
Two residents were asleep when the fire broke out, and woke from the smoke, Schweitzer said. The home did not have a smoke detector.
Damages from that fire were $5,000.
While the night was eventful for LFR, Schweitzer said he wouldn't call it stressful.
"We have the resources available and are prepared for these nights," he said.