NFPA Journal - July/August 2012 - (Page 26)

>>firewatch 911 call at 7:03 a.m. and arrived six minutes later to find the entire home on fire. After they knocked down the heavy flames, they found the victim seated in her bedroom. Investigators noted electrical extension cords and multi-plug devices throughout the house. The window air conditioner, where the men said they first saw the fire, was one of several appliances plugged into a 50foot (15-meter) extension cord that was coiled in a circle under a recliner and a sofa. It appears there the cord overheated somewhere between the appliance and the multi-plug outlet extender, and the heat ignited the room’s combustibles. The fire destroyed the house, valued at $42,900, and its contents, valued at $21,000. The only thing spared was a garage at one end of the house. The three men were treated on the scene. Unattended cooking starts deadly fire Woman dies when candle ignites clothing NEVADA—A 74-year-old woman died of smoke inhalation and burns after a candle apparently ignited her clothing when she used it to provide illumination while she changed a light bulb in a closet. The single-story, single-family, wood-frame house, which covered approximately 1,600 square feet (150 square meters), had a smoke alarm in the hallway that operated as designed. There were no sprinklers. A passerby who saw smoke coming from the attic vents called 911 at 6:15 p.m. Firefighters arriving six minutes later initially saw nothing from outside the house, but they heard a smoke alarm operating and smelled something burning. They forced open the front door, found light smoke, and began a primary search for occupants and the fire. When they entered a bedroom, they found the victim, who lived alone, in the closet. The fire was extinguished in less than a minute. Damage to the house and its contents, valued at $225,000, was estimated at $5,000. SOUTH CAROLINA—A 22-year-old woman died of smoke inhalation in her single-family townhouse during a fire that began when she left French fries cooking in the kitchen and went to bed. The two-story, wood-frame townhouse was one of eight in a row, and was 35 feet (11 meters) wide and 165 feet (50 meters) long, with its exterior walls covered with brick. Smoke alarms had been installed in the stairway between the first and second floors and on the landing at the top of the stairs. There were no sprinklers. The fire department received a 911 call at 5:30 a.m. and arrived shortly afterward to find flames coming from three sides of the building, heavy smoke coming from the fourth side, and fire seeping from the peak of the roof. Crews extinguished the blaze using a hose stream and deployed a hose line to prevent the fire from spreading to other units. An additional hose line was deployed when it arrived. Once they knocked the fire down, firefighters entered the townhouse and found the victim in a second-floor bedroom. They found another occupant at a neighboring home. Investigators determined that the victim had arrived home early in the morning and started to cook French fries but left them unattended on the stove when she went to bed. The grease in the pan overheated and ignited, starting a fire that spread to other combustibles. Her roomate, who was asleep on a couch in the living room, awoke, possibly to the smoke alarm sounding, and escaped to a unit two doors down. She placed the 911 call once she was outside. Meanwhile, the victim awoke, possibly also due to the smoke alarm sounding. She initially tried to control the fire, but retreated to the second floor, possibly believing her roommate was in the other upstairs bedroom. Firefighters found the victim in a second-floor bedroom. 26 NFPA JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2012 http://www.smokeandfireprevention.com/ http://www.smokeandfireprevention.com/ http://www.smokeandfireprevention.com/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2012

NFPA Journal - July/august 2012
Contents
First Word
Mail Call
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Fenway at 100
Crowning Achievement
Safety at Center Stage
Firefighter Fatalities in the United States, 2011
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - July/August 2012