Fires have been on the upswing in Geary County.

With seasonably warmer temperatures, it begs the question – is the weather contributing to the increased number of fires in the area?

Junction City Fire Chief Terry Johnson said that fires are something that just happen, and for various reasons.

“There’s no way we can pinpoint – is it the weather, is it certain things – each fire has its own reasons, each fire has it’s own cause,” said Johnson. “The [fire] on Thursday seems to be an electrical/mechanical type issue – it could happen at any time – the one on Saturday, the structure fire that we had on 12th Street, it appears at this time to be maybe some carelessness with a grill.”

It’s important to know and follow outdoor cooking safety.

“Folks want to [grill] close to the house, so that way they don’t have to walk as far, make sure the food’s hot when it gets put on the table; the problem with that is that as you go along and you do this you’re putting that heat source close to your house,” said Johnson. “It’s not safe, I recommend at least 10 to 15 feet away from the house, not on a wooden deck.”

Additional fire safety tips are available through the American Red Cross.