ATLANTA --
Atlanta firefighters had hoped a different type of spark didn't set off Valentine's Day.
Firefighters were busy Saturday putting out multiple fires with a skeleton crew.
Capt. Stephen Hill said the department was operating with two fewer fire trucks and fewer fire engines. Hill said engines 12, 22, 26 and 30 were out of service Saturday due to staffing shortages, as well as trucks 25 and 26.
Those numbers improved Sunday, as engines 12, 22, 26 and 30 were placed back in service, but trucks 25 and 26 remained browned out Sunday.
Officials said truck 25 would have responded to Saturday's fire in the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in southwest Atlanta, but since it was browned out, it had to be replaced by a truck coming from a more distant station.
The blaze heavily damaged two newly constructed apartment buildings.
With a reduced staff, Hill told Channel 2's Joyce Oscar that he is concerned it could be a rough day for the department if fires continue to flare up.
"Atlanta Fire-Rescue will be more vigilant due to the extreme level of vulnerability of fire protection in the City of Atlanta. Regional and state mutual aid partners have been given notice in case they are needed," Hill said.
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