July 25—Seattle Firefighters knocked down a house fire in South Park in just 7 minutes.
At 7:23 a.m., a 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting smoke and flames from a two story home located on the 1000 block of Cloverdale Street in South Park.
Engine Company 26 arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the home with all five occupants safely outside the house.
Firefighters ran a hose line into the home and upstairs to a second floor bedroom. Due to their quick aggressive actions, firefighters were able to knock the flames down within 7 minutes. The flame and smoke damage was contained to an upstairs bedroom.
A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the cause of the fire was accidental. The occupant had an unattended candle burning on a bed stand near a fan which caught nearby combustibles on fire. The damage estimate is 40 thousand dollars to the structure and 10 thousand dollars to the contents.
The family declined assistance from the American Red Cross and is relocating to a relative’s home.
A 15-year-old female was transported to Harborview Medical Center by AMR with mild smoke inhalation and a burn to her leg.
Every year, candle misuse causes approximately 23,6000 residental fires in the United States and results in $390 million in damage. The Seattle Fire Department encourages residents to safely use candles:
Always keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or before going to sleep.
Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use, the holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.
Place lighted candles where they won’t be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.
Keep bunrning candles away from furniture, drapes bedding carpets, books, flammable decorations, etc.
read and carefully follow all manufacturer instructions. Do not burn a candle longer than the manufacturer recommends.
Extinguish pillar and taper candles when they burn to within two inches of the holder. Discontinue burning votive and container candles before the last half inch of wax melts.
For these tips and others go to this link. http://www.seattle.gov/fire/pubed/brochures/candles.pdf
