Red Cross says the holidays are the busiest time of year



MENOMONEE FALLS (WITI) -- The day after a fire at a Menomonee Falls home, neighbors were still shaken up.

It happened Monday night near Pilgrim Road and Lisbon. The responding departments included the Brookfield Fire Department, Lannon Fire Department, Milwaukee Fire Department, Sussex Fire Department, and Butler Fire Department.

No one was injured, but the damage to the home was extensive.

While it came as a shock to people living nearby, it's not as big a surprise for volunteers from the Red Cross, who deal with a lot of house fires this time of year.

The Red Cross said that 20 percent of incidents it responds to in Southeast Wisconsin happen between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

In 2011, Red Cross responded to 68 incident in that time period in Southeastern Wisconsin.  In 2012 there were 74, and this year there have already been 38.

“House fires really flare up during the holiday season,” said Sara Bruesewitz with the Red Cross, “Because people are cooking more, they put out candles for decoration. They put up lights, and maybe their circuit is going overboard, so a lot of things factor into these fires.”

Bruesewitz suggests being extra careful over these next few weeks.  “Just have a more watchful eye over the holiday season because, its busy, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can lead to a disaster that you don't want to happen,” said Bruesewitz.

The Red Cross did respond to Monday night's fire in Menomonee Falls, but say the couple had insurance as well as family to stay with so their help wasn't required.