The West Frankfort Fire Department had its collective hands full Wednesday, fielding two fire calls within minutes of each other during the breezy, sunny pre-spring afternoon.
At 4:32 p.m., firefighters from the WFFD were dispatched to a building fire at 707 Skelton Street, located one block east of Route 37 behind Domino's Pizza. According to West Frankfort Fire Chief Wes Taylor, the fire developed after Wednesday's windy conditions caused a rubbish burn to spread through brush to the nearby 12' by 20' shed, subsequently destroying it.
Taylor said it's important to be aware of conditions when burning and to never leave a controlled fire unattended.
"Residents really have to be careful burning this time of year due to the wind," said Taylor. "Even if it's been raining and the ground appears soaked, the wind can quickly dry out brush and cause a contained rubbish burn to become out of control."
While firefighters were still on the scene, a second call came through 12 minutes after the first, notifying the department of a vehicle fire at the corner of Avery and Main Streets.
Taylor said the vehicle's brakes were the culprit in the incident, which turned out to be more of smoke scare than an actual fire.
No injuries were reported in either of the occurences.
