Montgomery credits rapid municipal and utility response for storm impacts; grass fire under investigation

Unidentified Speaker described the city's response to recent freezing temperatures and straight-line winds that caused downed trees and power lines. He said Emergency Management (EMA) kept warming centers open for multiple nights to protect vulnerable residents and credited sanitation and street teams for clearing debris and restoring collections under difficult conditions.

The speaker thanked county partners and private utilities, specifically Alabama Power, for restoring electricity near I-85 and getting residents back online. He said public works logged more than 100 calls for blocked roads and downed poles and trees, and the city reduced that backlog to about a dozen within 12 hours.

Separately, the speaker reported that Montgomery Fire Rescue responded to a large grass fire on William Dickerson Drive that escalated to second and third alarms. Three structures were destroyed and, according to the speaker, no one was injured; the cause is under investigation by the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Bureau of Investigations.

No further operational directives or emergency declarations were announced during the briefing.