ROANOKE, Va. – A house fire in Vinton left a family of six, including four children, without a home just days before Christmas. Spokesperson Brian Clingenpeel with the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department said the family was at home when the fire erupted.
“I think the children noticed something was wrong at about the same time the smoke alarms were going off. So, they had already gone to go alert the parents that something was wrong at the same time that the smoke alarms went off, and so they were able to all escape safely,” said Clingenpeel.
The incident took place on Tulip Lane in Vinton. Fire officials said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross said two other fires took place yesterday, including one on Holly Tree Drive last night. Clingenpeel said one adult was displaced but the home was a total loss with damage being $250,000. The cause of the fire is undetermined due to the damage.
Fire officials said they see an uptick in cold weather during the winter months.
“We always see our residential structure fires go up during the months of December, January, February,” said Clingenpeel.
The American Red Cross also said they noticed this trend as well. In fact, they call it fire season.
“Whenever you see the weather get cold you see an uptick in fires,” said Spokesperson Christy Carneal with the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross said they responded to 85 house fires in Virginia and 17 in Roanoke since Dec. 1.
One of the common causes is placing flammable items too close to heaters.
“Whether that’s a wood stove or a fireplace or a space heater anything that can burn should be kept three feet from the heat,” said Clingenpeel.
He also said you want to pay close attention to what you are cooking as that’s a leading cause of house fires.
“Anything on the stovetop you need to stay with it,” said Clingenpeel.
While most of us are decorating for Christmas, Clingenpeel has this advice when it comes to your Christmas tree.
“If you have a live-cut Christmas tree you should be watering it every day,” said Clingenpeel, “When it comes to lights, we just ask people to really inspect them.”
Meantime, Carneal with the American Red Cross said there is one common cause people should be sure to pay attention to all year round.
“Never plug a power strip in with an extension cord that has to be separate,” said Carneal.
She also said you should never run cords under rugs or flammable materials.
Finally, Clingenpeel said you should always have working smoke alarms.
“Having a working smoke alarm in your home doubles the chance that you get out alive,” said Clingenpeel.