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Keep The Wreath Green: 10 Residential Fires In Escambia County During December

January 5, 2021

The 2020 “Keep the Wreath Green” campaign ended with 10 red bulbs on the fire safety wreath to represent 10 residential fires in Escambia County during December.

The first of those fires was December 3 in the North Escambia area, injuring a resident as they rescued their cat from the blaze in the 600 block of East 10 Mile Road.

The majority of homes impacted during the 2020 campaign had no fatalities or serious injuries, but most did not have working smoke alarms present, according to county fire officials. The leading causes of fires in Escambia County for this year’s campaign were from candles, unattended cooking and electrical fires. There was also an increase in garage and shed fires during 2020.

“I would like to thank the citizens for making fire safety a priority,” said Paul Williams, Escambia County interim fire chief. ”This year’s campaign ended with fewer red bulbs than the previous year likely due to residents being diligent about practicing fire safety, but we should not stop there. If we continue to work together, we can eliminate both the personal and property loss due to fire. Almost all of the homes impacted during this year’s campaign did not have working smoke alarms.”

To receive a free smoke alarm contact Escambia County Fire Rescue at (850) 595-HERO (4376) or (850) 436-5200 for city of Pensacola residents to schedule an appointment for smoke alarm installation.

The 2019 Keep the Wreath Green campaign ended with 13 residential fires in the county.