FIRE INCIDENTS FROM NFPA FILES Compiled and written by Richard Campbell, NFPA Research Group calls reported an explosion at the site. The reports indicated that occupants were possibly trapped inside the structure. On arrival, the fire chief reported that a single-story house was fully involved with fire, with two large liquid propane tanks at the side of the house venting flames approximately 20 feet into the air. As crews arrived, the chief directed them to mount a defensive attack from the exterior of the structure, and firefighters pulled multiple hand lines in their suppression efforts. News reports indicated that crews battled the fire for approximately 45 minutes before they were able to bring it under control. Following extinguishment, crews found the bodies of two occupants in separate rooms of the structure. Investigators determined that the fire began when clothing was ignited by a lit cigarette as one of the occupants smoked while using a nasal cannula oxygen delivery device in her bedroom. The fire then spread to other combustible materials inside the room and to structural elements of the house. The second occupant was believed to have made a rescue attempt before being turned away by the intensity of the fire and being overcome by smoke while trying to escape. Investigators found no indication that the house was equipped with working smoke detectors. The house was a wood-frame bungalow structure with a metal roof and occupied a ground floor area of 1,026 square feet (95 square meters). The house and its contents were a total loss, but no information was available on dollar loss estimates. CALIFORNIA Occupant with mobility disability dies in house fire A man with a mobility disability died in a mid-afternoon fire that began when embers or burning debris dropped onto a carpet while he tried to stoke a fire in his woodstove, according to investigators. N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL Firewatch NOV DEC 2020 V5.indd 65 | 65 10/29/20 6:58 PMhttp://www.amerex-fire.com http://www.badgerfire.com http://www.buckeyef.com http://www.kidde.com http://halotron.com http://nfpa.org/journal