The Austin Fire Department responded to a structure fire on East Seventh Street that was caused by an oven left on when the power went out. As power was restored, a fire started. No one was injured.

AFD is urging residents to make sure their cooking and heating appliances are turned off during the power outage to prevent such events.

The department responded to a separate structure fire on East 12th Street on Wednesday. Two people were declared dead on the scene and a third patient was transported to a hospital in critical condition. No cause has yet been determined and will not be released pending autopsy results, according to an update AFD posted on Twitter.

The department has received 18 calls regarding fire alarms since 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, in addition to calls regarding a trash fire, a smoke investigation and an odor investigation, according to city data.

Since the power crisis began early Monday morning, AFD has responded to multiple structure fire and toxic exposure calls, the latter of which have occurred when residents used charcoal inside their homes in an attempt to stay home. This can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal.

AFD has also responded to hundreds of calls related to broken pipes and collisions caused by the winter storm and resulting power and water crises.

Local officials advise residents without power to do the following:

• Stay inside
• Dress in layers
• Avoid downed power lines
• Don't use generators indoor
• Use flashlight and battery-operated lanterns rather than candles and kerosene lanterns, which carry fire risk and fume hazards
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed and follow USDA guidelines regarding food safety during a power outage
• Turn off major appliances to avoid overloading electric lines when power is restored