Cold weather can lead to vagrant fires - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Cold weather can lead to vagrant fires

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By Len Kiese - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) – People who can't get a bed at a shelter often escape the cold inside vacant buildings. That's a fire hazard with sometimes deadly consequences.

Fire officials say there were multiple blazes in vacant homes around Albany last year. They say it's not only a danger to the vagrants who set up temporary housing but also to firefighters who have to put down the flames and to surrounding homeowners.

"Most people that don't have any means to keep warm will go into the vacant structures and use a makeshift fire aid to try to stay warm, whether it be in an old fireplace that hasn't been properly maintained or even some fire buckets. Sometimes it gets away from them," said Assistant Chief Ron Rowe with the Albany Fire Department.

Fire officials say if you see anything suspicious like people going in and out of vacant homes in your neighborhood, call 911.

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