Fire Incidents, Aug. 10 - Aug. 16

Fire incidents by the numbers:

EMS calls, excluding car accidents: 18

EMS calls, no transport/treatment refusal: 9

Smoke detector malfunctions: 4

Car accidents, no hospital transports: 3

Steam mistaken for smoke: 3

Alarm malfunctions: 2

Brush fires: 2

Well-being checks: 2

Building fires: 1

Passenger car fires: 1

Car accidents, with hospital transports: 1

Unintentional alarms: 1

Gas leaks: 1

Smoke scares: 1

Grill fires: 1

Fire incidents:

Firefighters on Tuesday, Aug. 10 extinguished hotspots from a brush fire last week on Grove Street at Dewey Road, using one tank of water. Firefighters were at the brush fire from 11:44 a.m. until 12:57 p.m.

Also on Aug. 10, firefighters put out a barbecue grill fire next to a house on Liberty Avenue, around 7:27 p.m.

On Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 11:28 a.m., a tree trunk on Harding Road snapped, and a large portion of the tree tangled in the electrical wires, causing a short and small explosion. The tree landed on a parked car and the street. No wires were down, but NStar workers fixed the power failure. The tree department cleared the tree.

An odor of smoke was reported on Friday, Aug. 13 around 5:48 a.m. on Spring Street. Firefighters found fire in a compost pile, which contained mostly leaves, and believe it combusted as a result of high temperatures and dryness. The fire was burning deep within the pile, and firefighters used foam spray and water to extinguish it, and also used overhaul tools to break down the fire. The residents were advised to use smaller piles of leaves for composting, and to turn them often.

Also on Aug. 13, a car fire was reported on Rte. 2 east at 8:18 p.m. The fire was in the car's engine compartment and dashboard. Firefighters extinguished the fire by 8:52 p.m.

Also that night, smoke was reported at a Marrett Road home at 9:04 p.m., and firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke in a basement storage area to the rear of the building. A burning sump pump was found in the corner of the storage area, and firefighters put out the fire with assistance from Hanscom Air Force Base firefighters. Arlington and Waltham fire departments provided coverage of Lexington Fire Headquarters and the East Lexington Fire Station during the fire, which was put out by 9:59 p.m.

On Saturday, Aug. 14, a possible outside fire was reported on Mountain Road. A smoldering campfire from the previous night was found on private property, and the homeowner put it out with water.