MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) - The southeast South Dakota town of Mitchell is reeling from a string of unrelated fires that have so far killed two people and caused more than $1.3 million in damage.

Fire officials say that through August, the damage estimates are up by more than five times last year's total of about $250,000. In the same time period, the total number of fires has eclipsed all of last year's - 62 to 57.

Those numbers don't include September's tallies, when two more homes were destroyed.

Assistant Fire Chief Paul Morris tells the Mitchell Daily Republic (http://bit.ly/PSY6Lo ) that it's "an unusual trend."

Officials say there's no common link among the blazes. The city's fire division is giving away 270 smoke detectors at the city's Walmart from noon-2 p.m. Oct. 13.