Red Cross swamped during record setting fire year

Saturday, May 10, 2008

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Fire crews have battled a record 181 blazes this year in Polk County.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- It has been a record-breaking year in Polk County when it comes to fires.

And emergency crews have been kept extremely busy as everything from faulty electrical wiring, candles and children playing with matches has been to blame for the recent rash of blazes. The most recent fire, which happened Tuesday in Winter Haven, was started in a clothes dryer.

Mattie Ray and her four family members are now homeless after Tuesday's blaze.

"You never think it's going to happen to you,' said Ray. "But it do."

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Polk fires

And just hours after that fire, crews were busy at another blaze in Auburndale. That fire, the 181st of the year, left a family of nine homeless.

The Polk County Red Cross has already surpassed its local disaster total from last year by 42 fires. And with two-months left in this service year, Red Cross officials said they are breaking service records during a year of low donations.

The amount of activity is keeping Red Cross volunteers stretched thin. The lifeblood of the organization, volunteers were thanked this week at a luncheon in Winter Haven.

"As long as they keep calling,' said volunteer Michele Medani. "We keep going 24-7."