Oswego, N.Y. - Fire departments across Oswego County, including the city of Oswego, were busy last month along with the Red Cross, responding to a high number of fires in May. The Onondaga-Oswego chapter of the American Red Cross responded to 19 fires in May, slightly above the 13-15 responses that are typical each month, according to Dick Blansett, director of public support for the local Red Cross. In Oswego County during the month of May, there was a total of seven fires, six of which the Onondaga-Oswego County chapter of the Red Cross responded to. According to Karen Ferguson, director of the Oswego office, the average is three fires. “This month has definitely been the biggest,” she said. There were two fires in the city of Oswego where the Red Cross provided assistance. Ferguson said that the Red Cross provided more than $4,000 last month in aid. The Oswego Fire Department has been busy as well. This past weekend, firefighters responded to two fires, one of which left a family of seven homeless. Maria Colon, her boyfriend and five children were inside the house located at 96 W. Sixth St. when a grease fire engulfed the stove, range hood and kitchen cabinets in flames. No one was injured in the fire that began after the stove was left on. The Red Cross responded to the fire, providing emergency assistance to Colon and her family. The Disaster Action Team is a group of trained volunteers who help families in need after a wide variety of disasters has struck. Initial services the Red Cross provides include financial assistance for food and clothing, short-term places to stay and replacement of prescriptions and eyeglasses. “It’s interesting (about) the prescriptions and eye glasses, you don’t think about those when you’re running out of the house,” Ferguson said. Also Saturday, the Red Cross responded to a structure fire at 48 Wigwam Drive in Sandy Creek. A family of two was left homeless by the fire that severely damaged the building. The Red Cross provided emergency assistance to the family. The other weekend fire involved two vehicles early Saturday morning at 315 E. Second St. Something in the interior caught fire in a 1999 Toyota, spreading to a 2006 Chevrolet and began impinging on the nearby house and garage. According to Deputy Fire Chief Mark McManus, it was not determined definitely what caused the fire inside of the Toyota, but thinks it may have been a discarded cigarette. McManus said both of the vehicles, owned by Monica Lamont, were destroyed. Both of the weekend fires were ruled as accidental. “Our fire volume has been kind of low the past couple months,” McManus said, noting that until recently, the last structure fire the department responded to occurred in September. That all changed about six weeks ago. In addition to the two fires over the weekend, the Oswego Fire Department also responded to a house fire on Ontario St. two weeks ago. Ferguson, Blansett and McManus could not say for sure why there were more fires than normal in May. They just know that both of their organizations have been busy. “The interesting thing is … there doesn’t seem to be any underlying themes,” Blansett said. He noted that there was a couple of fires where riding lawn mowers had been too close to something flammable, fires that had been starting by faulty wiring and kitchen-oriented fires. “(If) you think of a cause of a fire, most likely one of the May fires was one of them,” Blansett said. Normally there are more fires during the winter months. “When the heating season starts, the fire season starts,” Ferguson said. Even though she did not have specific numbers, Ferguson said with the down turn of the economy, the organization has received fewer donations. “I would say obviously the economy is affecting everyone’s giving level,” Ferguson said. “If you have a choice to buy gas and go to work or give to a charitable organization, you’re going to go to work.” “We survive on donations,” Ferguson said. Even though the Red Cross does not accept food or clothing donations, it does accept monetary donations. Ferguson also noted that the organization is always looking for volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can call 234-2217.