Fires and floods creating a busy summer for the American Red Cross in the Valley
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The summer's blistering heat is taking a toll on the state, just as several wildfires continue to rage on across California. Here in the Central Valley the summer sizzle is keeping first responders and emergency personnel busy.
"Typically this time of year the heat that does come up-- this is our spike in how many calls we run," said Todd Tuggle, Fresno Fire Deputy Chief.
With extreme temperatures expected for the next several days comes the increased risk of unexpected fires. Monday afternoon, Fresno fire crews doused the flames on a large apartment complex during the triple digit heat. The American Red Cross was there to aid the 13 adults and three children who were displaced.
"We are extremely busy-- it's the time of the year-- every summer we get busy," said Esteban Orozco, American Red Cross.
It's not just fires-- this summer the American Red Cross has been stretched thin, helping families who were forced to evacuate their homes because of dangerous flooding.
"The floods are something we weren't thinking was going to actually cause such big problem but it did-- we took care of it," said Orozco.
Rivers and waterways throughout the Valley filled up faster than they could hold once the extreme heat hit and began melting the Sierra snowpack. The increased levels have made for more water rescues following consecutive years of drought.
"This year there's a lot of water flowing, so there's a lot of people enjoying that but with that enjoyment comes the risk of very cold water, folks drowning, folks getting pulled under, so we have seen an increase in water rescue call outs," said Tuggle.
