The number of fires the Abilene Fire Department has dealt with is growing, fire marshal Jeremy Williams said, though there's no one cause for the increase.

"The city of Abilene is growing every day, along with fire responses," Williams said Thursday afternoon. "It's a higher number at this point."

As of Thursday afternoon, there have been 82 fires in 2022, compared to 58 in the same period, Jan. 1 to April 14, in 2021.

In the same period in 2020, there were 53.

The past week has been a particularly busy time for fire fighters.

Around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a fire was reported at Primal Pet Group in the city’s Five Points Business Park.

Williams said the blaze was caused by welding. A news release said the fire had been ruled accidental, with damage listed as $20,000.

The department responded to two unrelated fires Wednesday, including one that required a second alarm.

On Sunday, there were two unrelated fires involving detached buildings behind residences, while firefighters on worked a commercial structure fire in the 1600 block of Vine Street on Saturday.

Causes of recent fires vary, Williams said, though dry conditions that elsewhere have sparked wildfires have — in some instances — aided in development.

But there is not "any trend or commonality with the recent fires we have responded to” as far as cause, he said.

However, there are certain trends the department is seeing, which can provide insight for property and business owners.

One of the largest problems? Overburdened surge protectors.

“It is becoming quite common to see citizens overload surge protectors or electrical outlets in their homes,” Williams said. “They plug in gaming systems, televisions, phone chargers, (and) routers and then plug in another surge protector and fill it with miscellaneous items.”

That configuration overloads the wattage for the surge protector, he said, resulting in a fire.

Cooking fires also are common, he said, some with unusual origins.

“We have had two instances recently where someone was cooking, left the kitchen to shoot a Tik Tok video and came back to the kitchen on fire,” Williams said.

Power lines in high winds also can be an issue, though that isn’t something seen all that often, he said.

“Windy days and trees that need to be trimmed cause the biggest issue,” he said.

There is no outdoor burning in the city of Abilene, while Taylor County is currently in a burn ban, Williams said.

As far as prevention strategies, there are many, Williams said:

► In kitchens, never leave cooking unattended, don’t leave items stored on top of stoves and unplug unused appliances.

► Keep dryer vents clear and don’t run laundry at night or when no one is at home.

► In living areas, surge protectors should not be overloaded, while extension cords should be reserved for temporary use, not replacement for wiring.

► Using an extension cord to power items for another building can be a fire hazard.

► Have working smoke detectors in every bedroom and connecting hallways.

► Never leave candles or open flames unattended.

► Keep three feet away from combustible material

► Outdoors, use caution when cooking and never leave grills unattended.

Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News.  If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.