GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — The Green Bay Metro Fire Department had more than twice the number of holiday fires in 2019 compared to 2018.
“It’s kind of a record,” Department Spokeswoman Shauna Wachholz told WTAQ. “In 2018 we had five house fires, and in 2019 we had 14.”
That’s disappointing news for the department’s “Keep the Wreath Green” campaign, which lights a red bulb on a large light-up Christmas wreath for every house fire the department responds to during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
It wasn’t a single cause that drove those fires, either, but cooking fires are a lot more prevalent over the holidays.
“It’s just because it’s the time of year where we have family, friends, and a lot more distractions than we normally would,” Wachholz told WTAQ. “Out of the 14, five were cooking fires that could have been somewhat prevented.”
The list also included several garage and electrical fires.
She chalks up the rise in fires to circumstance and not some larger underlying trend. The department will continue to focus on fire prevention in the coming year.
