When people typically think of house fires, they think of them occurring over the winter, caused by faulty furnaces or unclean chimneys.

However, as Perry Fire Chief Chris Hinds explains, summer can be just as susceptible to fires as winter. “Things that are often overlooked in the summertime is people that are out working in the yard and doing things where you have a barbecue pit or a fire pit in your backyard, or you’re burning leaves. And many times things like that will travel up into the eaves of the house where you don’t see it, and pretty soon you realize you’ve got smoke coming out of your house.”

To combat many of the common causes of summer fires, Hinds says it’s all about location. Placing fire pits, barbecues, or burn piles far away from anything that could catch fire is a good first step to preventing fires. Additionally, he recommends to never burn anything during times of high winds, as they can prove unpredictable. Hinds adds, Perry has been fairly lucky when it comes to house fires over the years, which he attributes to the community being aware of good fire safety practices. He’s hoping that continues this summer.

To hear more about fire safety, listen to Wednesday’s and Thursday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County programs at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.