High winds cause busy Monday for firefighters

The Turlock Fire Department had a busy day today on Monday, October 11th, 2021, responding to four separate calls related to the high winds which all took a decent amount of time.

The first call came in at 10:27 am. Firefighters were dispatched to reported wires down in front of Turlock Nursery School, 415 Grant Ave, Turlock. When they arrived on scene, they found a large branch that had fallen off of a tree and brought some power lines down with it. Firefighters stood by and assisted with children pickup at the preschool until Turlock Irrigation District could respond to secure power and conduct repairs.

The second call came in at 10:41 am. Firefighters were dispatched to reported wires down in the roadway at the intersection of W Main St and Radio St, Turlock. When they arrived on scene, they found communication lines that had fallen in the roadway. Firefighters moved them out of the road and cleared as they were not power lines thus not hazardous.

The third call came in at 12:24 pm. Firefighters were dispatched to reported wires down behind Hendrickson’s Turlock Music, 223 N Center St, Turlock. When they arrived on scene, they found a branch that had fallen off of a free and brought some power lines down with it. Firefighters evacuated the homes in the immediate area and stood by until Turlock Irrigation District could respond to secure power and conduct repairs.

The fourth and final call came in at 6:37 pm. Firefighters were dispatched to a check out at a residence in the 100 block of N Minaret Ave, Turlock. When they arrived on scene, they found a large tree that had fallen onto the home and a vehicle in its driveway. Firefighters assisted with removing the tree from the home and vehicle until a tree service could respond to clean up the mess.

In addition to responding to the above calls, firefighters responded to their normal daily calls for service, which included several medical aids, commercial fire alarms, mutual aid requests, and a vehicle collision. Similar winds are expected tomorrow, Tuesday, October 12th, 2021, which are likely to cause similar issues.

If you come across any hazardous conditions caused by high winds, including downed lines or trees, or malfunctioning traffic signals, please report them by calling 209-668-1200.