The huge residential fires in Algoma last Tuesday are a good reminder when it comes to storing your lawnmower after use.  A still-hot riding lawnmower inside the garage was the cause of last week's devastating fires that destroyed two Algoma homes near the corner of Arlington and Kirkland Avenue. Algoma Fire Chief Tom Ackerman says you should always check for and remove any grass clippings from the mower deck after each use. He says a fire risk can result from any model of lawnmower.

Fire Chief Ackerman credits his firefighters in combatting the fires successfully in extremely hot weather conditions.  Emergency Medical Service assistance helped get his crew's vital signs back to normal in dealing with heat exhaustion.  According to Ackerman, the biggest challenge in fighting the two structure fires side-by-side was having enough personnel on-site. During last Tuesday's fires, the Algoma Fire and Rescue received assistance from neighboring fire departments from Kewaunee, Southern Door, Casco, and Luxemburg.