April 2020 Responses
SAVANNAH, GA (Tuesday, May 12, 2020) – During the Month of April, the Savannah Fire Department responded to more than 515 incidents including 107 fires, 131 emergency medical service and other incident calls, 49 hazardous condition calls, 35 public service calls, 47 smoke scare calls and 146 false alarms. Of the 107 fires, 23 were structure fires. Below is a detailed summary of the notable calls for service in April:
April 30, 2020
11:30 p.m.
Smoke Alarm, 0 Block of W. Fairmont Avenue
Units responded to a fire alarm at a hotel. Firefighters discovered that a hotel guest was smoking in their room and inadvertently set off the alarm.
April 30, 2020
9:50 p.m.
Open Area Fire, 0 Block of Park of Commerce Boulevard
Firefighters responded to an open area fire. They used a 1.75 line to extinguish the fire.
April 30, 2020
9:24 a.m.
Public Service, W. Gwinnett Street and Telfair Road
Firefighters were dispatched to an accident involving an overturned cement truck. Savannah police had already removed the driver from the vehicle when firefighters arrived. They provided patient care until EMS arrived.
April 30, 2020
5:14 p.m.
Dumpster Fire, 600 Block of MLK Boulevard
Firefighters were dispatched to a dumpster fire in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. Firefighters used a 1-3/4" trash line to extinguish the fire.
April 29, 2020
8:29 p.m.
Car Fire, W. Oglethorpe Avenue and Ann Street
Units were dispatched to fire in a parking garage. Firefighters discovered a burning car on the 5th floor. They quickly extinguished the fire. The car was reportedly an abandoned vehicle. Investigators were called to determine a cause.
April 29, 2020
2:50 a.m.
Structure Fire, 600 Block of E. Duffy Street
Firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire. They discovered heavy smoke and flames coming from five apartments at a residential facility. Units used a chainsaw to cut through a courtyard fence and gain access to the rear of the building. Firefighters had to knock down the raging fire from the exterior before they could enter the apartments and completely extinguish the fire. No one was injured, but 34 residents were displaced. Investigators were called to determine a cause.
April 28, 2020
6:24 p.m.
Structure Fire, 200 Block of E. 66th Street
Savannah Fire Department units responded to the report of a structure fire. Firefighters discovered light smoke coming from the front of a single story residence. A man on the front porch said his wife was still inside. Fire fighters found her in the backyard. They extinguished the fire, which appears to have originated in an attached storage room at the rear of the house. No one was injured, but both residents were displaced.
April 28, 2020
5:09 p.m.
Smoke Scare, 700 Block of E. 60th Street
Units responded to the report of a structure fire. Firefighters didn’t see any smoke or flames. The homeowner said she smelled a strange odor coming into her home. Firefighters determined that wind was blowing in the odor of asphalt from roadwork being conducted nearby.
April 28, 2020
4:26 p.m.
Open Area Fire, Eisenhower Drive and Northbound Truman Parkway
Firefighters responded to an open area fire. They extinguished a fire in a ditch along the highway.
April 28, 2020
2:36 p.m.
Transport Vehicle Fire, W. Gwinnett Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Firefighters responding to the report of a vehicle fire discovered flames coming from a garbage truck. Firefighters used a 1.75 inch line to extinguish the blaze, then used a clamp to stop a hydraulic fluid leak. Risk management was called to inform the garbage truck owner of his environmental clean-up responsibilities.
April 28, 2020
10:31 a.m.
Fire, 100 Block of Phyllis Dr.
The Savannah Fire Department responded to the report of a deck on fire. Firefighters discovered a charred wooden deck at the rear of a residence. The neighbors saw the fire and extinguished it prior to their arrival. Firefighters overhauled the damaged deck and opened a section of the wall to ensure that the fire was completely out.
April 27, 2020
6:59 p.m.
Trash Fire, 600 Block of Vinson Avenue
Units were dispatched to a reported structure fire. Firefighters found a man who had been burning yard debris in a 50 gallon drum. He added gasoline to the blaze and the gas can caught fire. Firefighters soaked down the drum with a water can and informed the resident of the ordinance barring open burns within the City limits.
April 27, 2020
4:55 p.m.
Trash Fire, 2000 Block of Massachusetts Avenue
Firefighters were dispatched to an open area fire. They discovered a pile of cardboard boxes burning at the curb line and used a 1.75" trash line to extinguish the fire. The resident said he set the cardboard on fire because it was moldy and the City had not picked up recycling. The resident was advised of the City ordinance prohibiting the burning of trash and yard waste.
April 27, 2020
12:36 a.m.
Fire, 500 Block of E. River Street
Units were dispatched to the report of a fire behind a restaurant. Firefighters found a small, smoldering fire in the wooden pylons along the river. Firefighters used water cans to extinguish the fire.
April 27, 2020
9:26 a.m.
Fire, 400 Block of E. River Street
Units responded to a fire at a liquor store. Fire fighters discovered smoke and flames coming from a two story building. The building had businesses at the bottom and apartments at the top. The businesses were closed and only one of the apartments was occupied. That resident was temporarily sheltered in a safe place. Inside the liquor store they discovered several beverage coolers on fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the structures. The liquor store and a dog bakery sustained smoke and fire damage. A tee-shirt shop, sunglass store, cookie store, restaurant and general store suffered smoke damage.
April 27, 2020
4:41 a.m.
Gas Leak, 5300 Block of Waters Avenue
Units responded to the report of a gas leak inside a fast food restaurant. Firefighters discovered leaky gas valves at a fryer and the hot water heater. The gas company was called to mitigate the issue. Firefighters ventilated the building.
April 26, 2020
7:13 a.m.
Fire, East President and Avery Streets
Firefighters responded to the report of an open area fire. They discovered a campsite that was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire. The campsite resident said someone struck him in the face with a pipe and set his campsite on fire. Firefighters called EMS and Savannah Police to the scene to assist the campsite resident with his injuries and complaint.
April 24, 2020
7:30 p.m.
Extrication, 200 Block of Wilder Drive
Firefighters responded to the report of a child stuck in a washing machine. They discovered a young girl who had been stuck inside a washing machine for 15 minutes. They comforted her as they worked to remove her from the machinery. EMS was called to the scene to check for injuries.
April 23, 2020
4:57 p.m.
Hazardous Condition, 200 Block of E. Harris
Units were dispatched to an alarm activation at a church. Firefighters discovered a faulty ballast in a light fixture, which was causing it to smoke. They secured the power to the light and checked for hot spots.
April 23, 2020
8:14 a.m.
Fire, 200 Block of E. 37th Street
Firefighters responded to an alarm and sprinkler activation at a senior living facility. Firefighters discovered that the sprinkler had been activated by a couch fire. They also discovered that the electrical panel in the apartment had been tampered with.
April 22, 2020
7 p.m.
Fire, 600 Block of Columbus Drive
Firefighters were dispatched to a fire at a residence. They discovered light smoke coming from the front door. They entered the building and quickly extinguished the fire. No one was injured, but the residents were displaced.
April 20, 2020
6:53 p.m.
Fire, 300 Block of N. Lathrop Avenue
Firefighters responded to the report of a structure fire at a boat repair shop. They found smoke and flames coming from the roof of a deck. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and power to the building was cut.
April 20, 2020
5:54 p.m.
Public Service, E. Henry Street and Atlantic Avenue
Firefighters were dispatched to conduct a public service. They discovered a stalled vehicle in a deep puddle. The motorist was standing on the roof of the vehicle. Firefighters rescued the motorist and turned the scene over to Savannah Police.
April 20, 2020
12:49 a.m.
Alarm, 0 Block of Godley Park Way
Units responded to a fire alarm activation. No one was home so firefighters gained entry through a back door. They discovered a pot of burning food on the stove. They turned off the stove and ventilated the structure.
April 17, 2020
9:43 p.m.
Construction Debris Fire, 1500 Benton Boulevard
Units were dispatched to an open area fire. Firefighters discovered that a construction company was burning debris in the middle of their construction site. The fire marshal had no burn permit record for the site so firefighters extinguished the blaze.
April 14, 2020
8:18 p.m.
Fire, 500 Block of E. Gwinnett Street
Savannah Fire responded to the report of a structure fire. Firefighters discovered a man outside a two-story residence with burns on his hands. Inside they found that the man had used a fire extinguisher to put out an exhaust fan fire. Firefighters checked the attic for hot spots and cut power to the fan. EMS was called to treat the injured man.
April 14, 2020
10:21 a.m.
Carbon Monoxide Incident, 200 Block of E. Montgomery Cross Road
Crews were dispatched to the report of a structure fire at a business. Firefighters discovered a light haze inside, which they determined was carbon monoxide. The tank of a carbonated beverage dispenser was leaking. Firefighters stood by until the issue was mitigated.
April 14, 2020
4:24 a.m.
Fire, 2100 Block of E. Gwinnett Street
Firefighters responded to the report of a fire at a business. They extinguished a fire on an exterior door. Flames did not extend into the building. Investigators were called to determine the cause.
April 14, 2020
12:36 a.m.
Fire, Wheaton and Randolph streets
Firefighters were dispatched to an open area fire involving a Molotov cocktail that was thrown at an individual in a parking lot. A Savannah Police Officer on scene used an extinguisher to put out the fire prior to their arrival.
April 12, 2020
9:46 p.m.
Fire, 2000 Block of E. 49th Street
Firefighters responded to the report of a fire. They discovered a fire at a vacant dry cleaning building. The building appeared to have been occupied by multiple people who were using it as shelter. The fire appeared to have multiple points of origin. Fire investigators were called to determine a cause.
April 10, 2020
8:31 p.m.
Fire, 200 Block of Yamacraw Village
Savannah Fire responded to the report of a structure fire. They discovered that a light bulb exploded and caught a blanket on fire. The resident had extinguished the fire with a towel. Firefighters checked for hot spots.
April 10, 2020
5:31 a.m.
Public Service, 1300 Block of E. Henry Street
Units were dispatched to the report of a structure fire. They arrived at the scene and found no smoke or fire. The resident told them an upstairs neighbor was playing with a lighter and setting paper on fire. Firefighters turned the scene over to Savannah Police.
April 9, 2020
8:19 p.m.
Biohazard, 500 Block of W. Bay Street
Firefighters were dispatched to clean up a biohazard. They discovered a small pile of feces in a parking lot and decontaminated the area.
April 9, 2020
5:56 p.m.
Fire, 400 Block of W. 32nd Street
Units were dispatched to the report of a fire at a residence with people possibly trapped inside. Firefighters discovered a fire in a vacant duplex. No one was inside. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and prevented it from spreading to nearby buildings.
April 9, 2020
10:57 a.m.
Gasoline Spill, 2300 Black of Skidaway Road
Firefighters responded to the report of a gas spill in a parking lot. A man had been working on his car and spilled five gallons of gasoline. Firefighters cleaned it up.
April 9, 2020
8:57 a.m.
Overheated Motor, 11000 Block of Abercorn Street
Firefighters were dispatched to the report of a fire at a doughnut shop. They discovered smoke but no fire. Upon further investigation they determined that the HVAC system was overheating. Firefighters cut power to the HVAC Unit, cleared the building of smoke then contacted the fire marshal and health department.
April 7, 2020
2:51 p.m.
Public Service, 0 Block of Bushwood Drive
Firefighters were called to assist an individual who had fallen and was unable to get back up. Firefighters placed the individual in a chair and provided basic care.
April 5, 2020
2 a.m.
Public Service Call, 700 Block of W. 57th Street
Units responded to an alarm activation at an affordable housing complex. Firefighters found leaking pipes in two units which supplied the fire sprinklers. Firefighters attempted to make contact with the property manager.
April 5, 2020
5:20 a.m.
Public Service Call, 700 Block of W. 57th Street
Units responded to the report of a structure fire at Montgomery Landing Apts. Firefighters discovered a stopped up toilet in a third floor apartment. The toilet was leaking water into second and first floor apartments. Firefighters shut off water to the problematic toilet then removed excess water from the flooded units.
April 3, 2020
11:45 p.m.
Recovery, 300 N. Lathrop Avenue
Firefighters were dispatched to a dry dock. They assisted Savannah Police and EMS with a victim who had fallen approximately 50 feet onto a concrete surface.
April 3, 2020
8:18 p.m.
Fire, 0 Block of Timber Crest Court
Units were dispatched to a condominium fire. The resident reported that her cooker caught fire on the back porch. She used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. Firefighters checked for hot spots and made sure the fire was completely out.
April 3, 2020
6:42 a.m.
Fire, 300 Block of Bonaventure Road
Firefighters were dispatched to the report of a cemetery walkway on fire. A cemetery worker reported that a wooden riverfront walkway and dock had been set on fire. Only smoldering debris remained. Firefighters extinguished small brush fires in the area. An investigator was called to determine a cause.
April 1, 2020
4:19 p.m.
Public Service, 600 Block of Valleybrook Road
Firefighters were dispatched to assist a resident who was unable to turn off their microwave. The resident was concerned that the microwave would cause a fire. Firefighters determined that the microwave fan was running, not the oven.
April 1, 2020
12:34 p.m.
Confined Space Rescue, 0 Block of Artley Road
Units were called to assist a man who was trapped inside a vacuum truck. Firefighters rescued the man and helped EMS package him for transport