NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 62

Firewatch
and completed extinguishment in
approximately 15 minutes. Crews found
the body of the home's lone occupant
below a front window after the fire was
brought under control.
News reports indicated that the
passerby who initially spotted the fire
attempted to kick in the door, but was
driven back by heavy smoke.
Investigators determined that the fire
began in the basement, where a candle
ignited plastic and paper before spreading to the walls via furnishings and
extending to the ceiling. The fire caused
heavy fire, smoke, and soot damage in
the basement, and heavy smoke and
soot damage on the first floor.
The house was not equipped with
automatic detection equipment.
The residence was a single-story
structure with a wood frame and walls
and an asphalt roof cover. It occupied a
ground floor area of 525 square feet (49
square meters).
The fire caused $50,000 in damage
to the residence, valued at $100,000,
and $5,000 in damage to the contents,
with an estimated value of $10,000.

MAINE
Man dies in early morning house fire
Investigators believe that an early
morning house fire that claimed the life
of a male occupant was caused by an
electric heater that toppled over, setting
fire to the floor.
The fire department was notified of
the fire when a passing vehicle called
911 from a cell phone at 3:09 a.m.
Multiple mutual aid companies were
summoned to assist with response.
Arriving firefighters reported
that one side of the house was fully
engulfed in flames. Crews had difficulty
accessing fire hydrants due to snow
conditions and discovered that one
nearby hydrant was not operational.
Reports also indicated that firefighters
had difficulty maneuvering inside the
house due to hoarding conditions.
Crews found the victim's body following extinguishment. Fire department
reports indicated that the victim had a
mobility disability.
Investigators determined that the fire
began when an electric heater either

fell or was knocked over and ignited
the wood floor, with fire then spreading
to the walls and other structural elements of the house.
The house did not have a heating
system, according to news accounts of
the fire.
The house was a single-story wood
structure with a ground floor area of
6,000 square feet (557 square meters).
The house and contents, collectively
valued at $1.1 million, were a total loss.

NEW YORK
Unattended cooking materials
blamed for fatal house fire
One man died in a house fire that
began when cooking materials ignited
on the kitchen stove while he rested in
another room.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene following a neighbor's call to 911
at 1:20 a.m.
Police officers were first to reach the
location and reported a working house
fire. Officers were unable to make contact with anyone inside and breached
a sliding glass door at the rear of the
house in an effort to enter, but were
driven back by heavy smoke conditions.
Firefighters arrived soon after and
began suppression efforts, bringing the
fire under control in approximately 38
minutes. Crews found the victim in a
living room chair in front of a television, already deceased.
County fire investigators were
requested to report to the scene to help
determine the origin and cause of the
fire.
Investigators determined that one
of the burners on the kitchen stove
ignited food and other materials on
top of the stove and that the ensuing
fire spread vertically and horizontally
throughout the kitchen and into the
eaves and attic area.
The residence was not equipped with
automatic detection equipment.
The house was a single-story wood
structure with a gable roof and full
block foundation. It occupied a ground
floor area of 2,800 square feet (260
square meters).
No information was avalable
on the dollar loss from the fire.

PENNSYLVANIA
Fire claims life of man working on
car engine in basement of house
One person died in a house fire that
began when flammable vapors were
ignited by heating equipment in the
basement of a home.
The fire department was dispatched
to the scene after the victim called 911
to report the fire at 1:30 p.m.
Arriving crews reported heavy fire in
the ground-floor garage and basement
areas of a three-story row house. The
victim's wife informed crews outside
the house that her husband was still
inside.
An engine crew pulled an attack line
through the garage door to begin extinguishment while rescue teams began
searching the first and second floors.
A second hose line was pulled through
a back entrance, where crews began
attacking the seat of the fire in the
ground floor basement.
Crews reported that the fire kept
flaring back up during extinguishment
efforts and determined that the fire
was being fed by gas after noting bright
orange and blue flames that spread
across the floor. Once the fire was
brought under control, crews found the
body of the victim near the basement
stairs at the rear entrance.
Incident command requested that
fire investigators, a police detective,
and the medical examiner's office be
called to the scene.
Investigators found numerous melted
gasoline containers in the basement
and determined that the fire originated
approximately two feet from a utility
room, where an automobile fuel tank
was located.
Investigators concluded that the
victim was transferring gas to or from
the fuel tank when the gasoline fumes
found an ignition source, possibly from
the hot water heater or heating system
in the nearby utility room.
The house was not protected by automatic detection equipment.
The house was constructed with a
wood frame, block and stucco walls,
and a flat roof covered by asphalt.
No information was reported on the
dimensions of the structure.

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

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