ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Home fires spike during the winter, and Roanoke County Fire and Rescue reported seeing more fires in December, January and February.
Community Outreach Coordinator Brian Clingenpeel said recent responses have been to heater-related fires and emphasized the importance of keeping items at least three feet away from heaters.
“Anything that can burn—so, furniture, carpet, papers, you know, magazines, clothing—anything like that needs to be kept away from wood stoves and fireplaces and those kinds of things,” said Clingenpeel.
He also said the number one cause of fires is in the kitchen.
“What we have a lot of is people who have stuff on the stove, and then they leave it unattended. They get distracted. They go in the other room. They answer the phone. They answer the door. They go to watch a TV show—whatever it is—and they leave whatever they have on the stove unattended,” said Clingenpeel.
He advised putting something, like a spoon in your hand, so you remember that you’re cooking something.
If a grease fire starts, don’t use baking soda or water. Instead, cover the pan with a lid that fits, and turn off the heat.
Another important thing is to have smoke alarms inside and outside your bedrooms.
“Stuff can be replaced but people can’t, and so having a working smoke alarm in your home doubles the chance that you will get out alive,” said Clingenpeel.
Have carbon monoxide detectors, too.
Carbon monoxide detectors are good for seven years, and smoke detectors are good for ten years.
He also said you need to close your doors at night.
“Closing the door when you sleep in your bedroom is gonna reduce the temperature if there’s a fire elsewhere in your house,” said Clingenpeel.
While having a fire extinguisher is great, that’s not the most important thing.
“Life safety is most important to us. I really want people to get out of the house. Don’t spend time, you know, wasting it away with a fire extinguisher if you don’t think you’re gonna be able to put it out. What we really want you to do is have a working smoke alarm and get out of the house,” said Clingenpeel.
