PLANO, Texas — Over the course of a 24-hour period starting at noon Tuesday, Plano Fire-Rescue was getting about 10 calls for help per hour. Then, Wednesday afternoon that number more than doubled.
“We had 50 calls in 2 hours,” said Plano Fire-Rescue Lt. Daniel Daly. “It has been quite busy these last few days.”
Daly says they’ve been all hands on deck and busy with calls like one last night to a house fire, where the home partially collapsed and a firefighter suffered minor injuries.
It’s just one example of how departments throughout the Metroplex have been slammed during this cold snap.
“Temperature down in the teens has a way of doing that unfortunately,” Daly said.
Sunday night in Fort Worth, a captain narrowly escaped through a window as flames flared around him.
Tuesday in Arlington, crews had to improvise after a hydrant froze while they were putting out a fire there.
And for a period of time this week – several Dallas fire stations were without heat in the sub-freezing temperatures.
Wednesday in Colleyville, firefighters responded to a house on fire there.
“In our job, in our line of work, we roll with the punches,” Daly said.
When the freeze first came, departments mostly got calls for EMS, carbon monoxide, and fires likely caused by people simply trying to keep warm.
But now, as temperatures are rising, the thaw out is unveiling another set of issues.
“Pipes freezing, pipes breaking and water flowing where it's not supposed to, ” Daly said.
From smaller problems in people’s homes to water main breaks like the one off of Pearl Street in Downtown Dallas yesterday, firefighters still have their hands full as North Texas snaps back from the freeze.