Ames has experienced three fires in recent days, with damages totaling approximately $100,000.

While some of these fires were intentional, like the the deliberate prairie burns done by Ames Parks and Recreation on May 8, others were entirely unexpected.

The first fire, on May 5 at 2:45 a.m., was at a restroom in Brookside Park. Officials believe the fire was not due to malicious activity but rather improper disposal of garbage in a garbage can next to the restrooms.

This fire caused around $50,000 in park damages and the restrooms will have to be temporarily replaced with portable ones.

The second fire happened May 9 inside a detached garage at 12:15 a.m.

According to the press release from the City of Ames, fire crews arrived at the scene shortly after a neighbor heard “popping” noises and looked outside their window to see a fire.

The press release outlined the amount of damages created by the fire:

“The garage sustained significant interior damage to 50 percent of the structure and contents inside the garage. A house located east of the garage sustained heat damage from the fire. A car parked near the garage was also damaged by the heat of the fire. Damages are estimated at $50,000. There were no injuries reported.”

Deputy Fire Chief Paul Sandoval said there was no new information on the fire, as it was still under investigation as of 1 p.m. on May 10.

“These things happen in spurts,” Sandoval said about the frequency of these fires. “It isn’t strange to have two fires in a week, but it is definitely something that will put us on notice.”

He added, “Some weeks are just busier than others.”

Sandoval says that there are multiple ways that people can prevent these fires from happening.

At Brookside Park, he said people should put out any coals they use for grilling and make sure to dispose of them properly before leaving the area.

“While a lot of these places are smoke free, we tell people to dispose of their cigarettes properly as that could also cause a fire,” Sandoval said.

In relation to the garage fire, Sandoval advised people to keep any oily rags out of clumps and air dried to prevent spontaneous combustion.

It is also important, he noted, that people have fire extinguishers and fire alarms; however, in Ames it is not required by law to have a fire alarm in your garage.

The two recent fires happened days after a third fire that hospitalized two firefighters.

According to the Ames Tribune, officers arrived at Black’s Heritage Farm on May 1 responding to a report that a building had caught fire just south of Ames.

A team of over 70 firefighters from Huxley, Gilbert, Madrid, Colo, Nevada, Kelley, Slater and Cambridge attempted to suppress the fire. A nearby stack of more than 1,000 pieces of wood caught fire, spreading the fire to another building.

Firefighters lost the first building but were able to contain the fire within the second and saved it.

Compared to the fires that came after it, this fire took place with high winds and in dry weather, explaining why it was much harder to extinguish.

An official cause of the fire has not been determined.