Area authorities stayed busy over the Labor Day weekend responding to fires, widespread acts of vandalism in Gainesville and what appears to be an accidental drowning.

Hall County firefighters worked house fires at 1325 Patterson Drive and 6167 Christy Lane on Monday.

No one was injured in either fire and the total damage between both houses is estimated at $85,000, said Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle.

Both fires appear to be accidental, with one started by candles burning next to some drapery and the other by a problem with an electrical outlet.

Gainesville police are investigating a rash of vehicle vandalism incidents that happened between Thursday evening and Tuesday morning.

The department received 40 reports of tires being slashed, including 32 reported on Sunday at Carrington Park Apartments off Dawsonville Highway, said Lt. Brian P. Kelly, police spokesman.

Police received reports Friday that the vandalism had taken place at North Point Apartments, The Times and Glenn Cove Apartments.

On Tuesday, police had reports of five tire slashings at Fieldale Farms Corp., 1540 Monroe Drive.

The total damage during the weekend was estimated at $6,883, Kelly said.

Authorities are unsure whether all the incidents are related, he added.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gainesville police’s Criminal Investigations Division at 770-534-5254 or Hall County Dispatch at 770-534-5251.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigated an accidental drowning Sunday of 18-year-old Martin Campa of Suwanee. He was found in a body of water at Eagle Ranch, a Christian-based children’s home in South Hall.

The sheriff’s office and Hall County Fire Services responded to the incident at about 4:20 p.m. Sunday to a report of a possible drowning. When they arrived at Eagle Ranch, which is off Union Church Road, emergency workers found Campa in the water and immediately began trying to revive him.

Campa was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Campa, who had been fishing, appears to have slipped, hit his head on a rock and fallen into the water, said Col. Jeff Strickland, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Except for one fatality Sunday in Habersham County, area roads were basically quiet over the Labor Day weekend.

Statewide, the Georgia State Patrol worked 2,154 crashes involving 577 injuries and 18 fatalities.

Lori A. McLarty, 29, of Loganville, was driving her vehicle north on Ga. 15 in Habersham County when she crossed the median and struck a motorcycle driven in the southbound lane by Sean Enlow, 34, of McDonough, killing him, said patrol Operator Dean Wood.

The wreck happened at 7:53 p.m. Sunday near Glen Hardman Road, Wood said.

The Labor Day holiday travel period began at 6 p.m. Friday and ended at midnight Monday.

The Georgia State Patrol and the Crash Reporting Unit of the Georgia Department of Transportation predicted 1,898 traffic crashes, 901 injuries and 16 traffic deaths on Georgia roads.

Last year, during the 78-hour period, there were 2,150 crashes, 1,048 injuries and 12 traffic deaths in 11 fatal crashes.