NFPA Journal

Residential

CALIFORNIA

Fire started by a cigarette on a couch kills two residents

An early morning house fire that started when a lit cigarette ignited a living room couch claimed the lives of two residents.

The fire department was called to the scene following a call to 911 by a passerby at 2:15 a.m. News coverage reported that the house was fully involved when crews reached the scene and that they deployed large-flow hoses and master streams to attack the fire.

When crews were able to enter the house, they discovered one of the victims in a rear bedroom and the second at a rear entrance. Both victims suffered fatal smoke inhalation injuries. One of the victims had a mild to moderate intellectual disability, which affected his ability to escape.

Investigators concluded that the fire started after one of the occupants fell asleep while smoking a cigarette on a living room couch after taking medication. The cigarette ignited upholstery on the couch and spread to other combustible materials.

The house was equipped with battery-operated smoke alarms, but investigators indicated that they were not operational.

The house was a one-and-a-half-story wood frame structure with a ground-floor area of 2,400 square feet (223 square meters).

The house and its contents, collectively valued at $500,000, were a total loss.

PENNSYLVANIA

One dies, firefighter injured in fire started by cooking materials

Cooking materials were blamed for starting a late-night fire that claimed the life of a male resident of a multi-unit apartment complex. One firefighter also suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 11:45 p.m. following a call to 911 by the resident of a neighboring unit. On arrival, crews observed smoke coming from second-floor windows at a front corner of a three-story building. Building occupants had gathered on a front porch after being evacuated by police on the scene, and firefighters directed them off the porch and away from the structure.

After being advised by evacuated residents that people were still inside, firefighters advanced a hose line into the building and began to search for occupants and fire. Crews made a forcible entry into the apartment of fire origin on the second floor, where they found black smoke banked down nearly to floor level, with no visible fire.

Crews pulled the hose line into the apartment and began to ventilate the room by breaking windows at the side of the unit. Rescuers found the occupant in the bathroom and began to carry him down the main stairway to the front porch. While descending the stairs with the victim, one of the firefighters stepped on a charged hose line and lost his footing, landing in a seated position but managing to maintain his hold of the victim. The rescue team completed the evacuation and placed the victim on a stretcher, turning him over to EMS crews for transport to the hospital. The injured firefighter also required transport to the hospital for treatment of an injury to his ankle.

Firefighters inside the structure used hoses to wet the kitchen down and then checked for fire extension and hot spots. The fire was determined to be under control at 12:17 a.m.

The victim succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries at the hospital. Reports indicated that the victim was intoxicated and that his condition may have hindered his ability to escape.

Investigators determined that the fire started in the victim’s kitchen when grease that had been left cooking on the stove ignited, with fire spreading to plywood cabinetry. The building was not equipped with automatic detection or extinguishing systems.

The apartment building was a three-story structure comprised of 10 units, constructed with a wood frame and roof deck and a brick exterior. It occupied a ground-floor area of 5,000 square feet (465 square meters).

The fire caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to the structure and $15,000 to building contents.

NORTH CAROLINA

One sprinkler controls hotel fire started by discarded cigarette

Firefighters were dispatched to a hotel fire by an alarm monitoring company following the activation of an automatic detection system at 11:18 p.m.

Upon arrival, crews were directed by an employee to the third floor of the hotel, a four-story structure that housed 48 rooms. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke conditions on the third floor, but were able to quickly extinguish the fire in the room of origin, where a sprinkler had activated and controlled the advance of the fire.

Investigators attributed the cause of the fire to a discarded cigarette that had fallen on the floor between a bed, wall, and nightstand. They determined that the cigarette came into contact with bedding and sheets, igniting them and then progressing up the side of the bed and nightstand and spreading to wooden headboards, at which point a ceiling-mounted sprinkler activated and began to control the fire. A wall-mounted sprinkler closest to the fire did not activate.

In addition to the sprinkler system, the hotel was equipped with smoke detectors in each room.

Occupants of the room had checked out of the hotel before the alarm activated, but investigators were uncertain when the fire started.

The hotel occupied a ground-floor area of 6,936 square feet (644 square meters). The building was constructed with a wood frame, a stucco veneer, and a built-up tar membrane roof cover.

The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to the hotel, valued at $1.4 million, and $2,000 in damage to room contents, which were valued at $5,000. The value of the hotel’s overall contents was estimated at $1 million.

MICHIGAN

Two die, three injured when space heater ignites clothing

Two residents died and three others were injured in a house fire that started when a space heater ignited clothing that had been placed near it to dry.

Firefighters were dispatched to the residence following a call to 911 by one of the occupants.

According to news reports, arriving fire crews were informed by residents who had managed to escape that two residents were still inside. The reports indicated that crews entered the structure and found one of the fatally injured victims in a hallway and the second in a bedroom.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but their efforts were hampered by high winds and blowing snow.

The three surviving residents, including one minor, were transported to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation injuries.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in a rear sunroom where clothing had been left to dry overnight in front of a space heater. The clothing ignited and the room flashed over while the occupants were sleeping, and the fire then spread into a dining area.

The residence was equipped with a single smoke alarm in a hallway, but investigators indicated that it did not operate because it lacked a battery. In news reports of the fire, fire officials emphasized that the outcome would likely have been different if the smoke alarms had been operational.

The house was a single-story structure with a ground-floor area of 1,500 square feet (139 square meters). The house had wood framing and brick walls, with asphalt shingling.

The fire caused $50,000 in damage to the house, valued at $80,000. Its contents, with an estimated value $50,000, were a total loss.

MAINE

Unattended cooking fire claims life of resident

A male occupant died as a result of a fire that investigators believe started as a result of cooking oil overheating on a kitchen stove.

The fire department was dispatched to the fire following a phone call from a neighbor at 6:45 p.m. Crews reported fire showing from the house upon arrival, with a female at the scene trying to make contact with the occupant.

News sources reported that the victim was evacuated by crews within five minutes of reaching the scene. EMS personnel performed advanced life support in an effort to resuscitate the victim while crews extinguished the fire.

Investigators believe that the victim fell asleep in an adjacent room while waiting for cooking oil to heat in the kitchen. They believe that he awakened after the cooking oil ignited and threw water on the fire, causing it to spread rapidly. He was found in the area of fire origin with burn and smoke inhalation injuries.

According to fire department reports, the home was equipped with a single battery-operated smoke alarm. Crews indicated that the alarm was not sounding when they entered the structure.

The house was a two-story structure with a ground-floor area of 1,232 square feet (114 square meters). The walls and floor framing were constructed of logs, with a wooden roof deck covered by asphalt.

The fire caused $50,000 in damage to the structure, which was valued at $112,000, and an additional $20,000 in damage to the contents, whose value was estimated at $25,000.

ILLINOIS

Elderly man dies, two firefighters injured in early morning house fire

An elderly man died in an early morning house fire that originated in an electrical junction box in the basement.

Firefighters responded to the report of a structure fire at 5:30 a.m. While en route, dispatch informed crews that an elderly resident was possibly trapped inside the home. Crews reaching the scene observed fire showing in a side window on the second floor of a one-and-a-half-story bungalow and fire at the rear of the house.

Crews initially attempted to access a corner room at the rear of the house that a neighbor had identified as the resident’s bedroom, but fire conditions prevented entry until a hand line was brought into service. A second crew attempting to make entry on the opposite side of the house with a hand line reported fire in the basement, prompting a call for a second alarm.

Incident command formed primary search and rapid intervention teams, while directing other crews to control the basement fire and to pull a line through the front of the house for fire attack. When the fire was sufficiently under control to make entry, the search team entered the house and found the occupant in the dining room. Crew members carried the occupant outside with assistance from the rapid intervention team. EMS crews assumed care for the occupant and transported him to the hospital. The occupant was later pronounced dead.

Crews continued to attack the fire and began venting the roof at the front of the house, then checked for extension in wall areas when extinguishment was complete. Two firefighters suffered injuries at the scene: one who experienced breathing difficulties while engaged in overhaul activities and was taken to the hospital for treatment, and a second who tripped and fell but whose injury did not require hospital treatment.

Reports indicated that the occupant of the house suffered from severe visual impairment.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in the area of an electrical junction box in the basement but were unable to identify a cause. The house was not equipped with smoke alarms or other protection.

The house and its contents, collectively valued at $40,000, were a total loss.

LOUISIANA

Resident dies when space heater ignites house fire

A male resident died in a house fire that began when a space heater ignited books and carpeting in a second floor bedroom.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire following a phone call from an unknown person at 6:44 a.m. Firefighters reported smoke in the area while en route and found heavy fire showing from the second floor at the rear of a two-unit residence upon arrival. A woman standing outside informed crews that her brother lived in the upstairs unit and might still be inside.

Crews attacked the main body of fire with two lines from outside the structure before transitioning to an interior attack and search. The interior team advanced a hose up the stairway, entered the bedroom and extinguished the fire.

Crews found the victim’s body in the doorway between the living room and bedroom in a position that indicated he had been moving into the bedroom. News reports indicated that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Incident command requested that a police department chaplain report to the scene to assist with notification of family.

Investigators determined that a space heater ignited books on the bedroom floor and spread to carpeting and other combustible materials and then spread to structural components of the house.

The house was equipped with ceiling-mounted smoke alarms but investigators indicated that they did not operate.

The house was a two-story wood construction with a ground-floor area of 1,050 square feet (98 square meters).

The house, valued at $96,000, was a total loss. The fire caused an additional $10,000 in damage to its contents.

LOUISIANA

Four perish in overnight fire blamed on electrical fault

Four family members perished in a house fire that was ignited during the overnight hours by faulty electrical wiring in the home’s attic.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 7:30 a.m. after a passing motorist saw smoke coming from a duplex house and called 911.

Upon arrival, crews reported flames and smoke ventilating from a large window at the side of the single-story house and heavy smoke emitting from the attic area. As they began suppression efforts, an occupant of the adjoining unit informed crews that occupants might still be inside. Incident command gave the order for a search and rescue operation.

A search and rescue team entered the structure and located four occupants, who were moved outside and began receiving medical treatment before transport to the hospital. Crews then resumed fire attack and completed extinguishment.

All four occupants later succumbed to smoke inhalation injuries in the hospital.

Investigators determined that the fire began in the attic area, where newer wiring from the exterior electrical panel was connected to knob-and-tube wiring in junction boxes. They concluded that an electrical fault in the wiring ignited a fire in the attic and smoldered for a considerable amount of time before burning a hole in the ceiling and dropping onto a couch in the living room below, where the fire greatly intensified.

The house was a wood structure with a ground-floor area of 1,900 square feet (177 square meters). It was not equipped with smoke alarms or sprinkler protection.

The fire caused $20,000 in damage to the house, which was valued at $70,000, and an additional $10,000 in damage to its contents, whose value was estimated at $20,000.

NEW YORK

One dies in early morning house fire ignited by a candle

A candle was blamed for igniting an early morning house fire that claimed the life of a female occupant.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene following a 911 call at midnight by an occupant who was wakened by screaming. News reports indicated that two firefighters found the victim in a bedroom and carried her from the structure. The victim succumbed to smoke inhalation and burn injuries after being transported to the hospital.

The coverage reported that one of the firefighters returned to the bedroom and evacuated a second resident, who was found unconscious on the floor. The second resident was transported to the hospital and was reported to receive treatment for burn and smoke inhalation injuries.

The house had no electric or gas service and a lit candle had been placed on a shelf in a bedroom, where it ignited unspecified combustibles. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the bedroom.

The home was equipped with battery-operated smoke alarms outside the bedroom area, but it was not clear whether they operated.

The house was a two-and-a-half-story structure that occupied a ground-floor area of 2,100 square feet (195 square meters). It was constructed with a wood frame, lathe and plaster walls, and a wood roof covered by asphalt shingles.

The fire caused $2,000 in damage to the structure and an additional $1,000 to the home’s contents.

ARIZONA

Hoarding conditions likely contributed to house fire that killed two

A late night fire in a manufactured home claimed the life of two residents.

Firefighters were dispatched to a residential fire following a call to 911 from a passerby at 11:50 p.m.

Crews arrived to find a single-wide manufactured home fully involved with fire. Incident command assigned crews to mount a defensive fire attack in order to keep the fire from spreading.

When suppression efforts permitted entry to the structure, crews found the body of a female in a hallway and a male in the kitchen. Those areas were secured until a medical examiner was able to reach the scene.

Investigators determined that the fire started in the living room when a space heater ignited paper materials. Hoarding conditions were reported inside the home and investigators told news sources it was likely that piles of material in the interior interfered with the ability of the victims to escape.

The home was constructed with wood joist framing and a metal roof. It occupied an area of 840 square feet (78 square meters).

The structure and its contents, which carried an estimated value of $21,000, were a total loss.

ARKANSAS

One killed, one injured by fire ignited by cigarette in trash can

An elderly woman died of smoke inhalation in a house fire that started when a lit cigarette ignited the contents of a trash can and spread to the structure.

The fire department was dispatched to the fire at 6:35 p.m. following a phone call to 911.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, which was largely confined to a bathroom in the resident’s master bedroom, where the trash can was located. After the contents ignited, investigators indicated that the fire spread upward and throughout the bathroom.

Reports did not indicate how the fire was discovered or who placed the call to 911. However, news coverage did report that a minor suffered non-fatal injuries in the fire and was flown to a children’s hospital for treatment.

Newspaper reports described the residence as a double-wide manufactured home and indicated that there was extensive heat and smoke damage throughout the home. The house was single-story structure with a ground-floor area of 2,240 square feet (208 square meters). The home was a wood construction, with an asphalt shingle roof cover.

No estimates were available on dollar losses from the fire.

ARKANSAS

Space heater blamed for fatal fire in manufactured home

An early morning house fire that started when a space heater ignited bedding material claimed the lives of two residents.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire following a 911 call from a passerby reporting a fire in a manufactured home. The fire department estimated that the fire had been burning for less than 15 minutes before it was detected.

Firefighters arrived approximately three minutes after notification and found the home completely engulfed in flames. After extinguishing the fire, crews found the bodies of two residents who had succumbed to smoke inhalation and burn injuries. Reports indicated that alcohol impairment may have hindered the ability of the victims to escape.

The investigation determined that a space heater ignited bedding materials in one bedroom and spread to a second bedroom. Investigators were informed by a witness that the house did not have heat or gas and that the occupants were relying on space heaters for heat.

No evidence of smoke alarms was found in the residence.

The house was a manufactured home with a ground-floor area of 900 square feet (84 square meters). It was constructed with a wood floor and walls and a metal roof deck and cover.

The house and its contents, collectively valued at $40,000, were a total loss.

Vehicle

MASSACHUSETTS

Cab driver carries passenger to safety after taxi catches fire

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene of a vehicle fire after an onlooker pulled a nearby box alarm at 2:40 p.m.

According to news reports, a resident on a nearby balcony described hearing an explosion and then witnessing a taxi driver and passenger escape from the burning vehicle.

Upon arrival, crews found the taxi fully involved with fire. Crews used a front preconnect hose to knock down the fire, then performed overhaul activities following extinguishment.

The witness on the balcony credited the taxi driver with carrying the passenger to safety.

Investigators identified the cause of the fire to an unspecified electrical malfunction that ignited plastic material in the operator area of the vehicle.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $5,000.

Industrial/Manufacturing

MAINE

Natural gas ignites, starts fire in manufacturing plant

Firefighters were dispatched to a fire at a tool manufacturing plant at 7 a.m. after a fire broke out in a rooftop heating unit and spread to wood structural components in the roof.

The fire started when natural gas failed to ignite after frigid temperatures prompted a call for heat for the hot-air rooftop furnace. Gas built up until it was ignited by an unspecified electric source, resulting in a fireball that vented outside and into the building, with fire traveling across the underside of the roof deck.

Upon arrival, firefighters set up three aerial devices to access the roof and extinguish the fire in the heating unit and roof. Sprinklers in the production area successfully extinguished the interior fire.

Investigators indicated that the heating unit had not been serviced in more than 12 months and was original to the building, although no information was available on when the facility was constructed.

The building was protected by a wet pipe sprinkler system compliant with NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, as well as smoke detectors in non-production areas. Thirteen sprinklers operated in response to the fire but were only able to extinguish the fire on the underside of the roof deck.

The building was a single-story structure with a ground-floor area of 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters). The building was constructed with steel walls and floor framing and a metal roof deck, with a built-up roof cover.

The fire caused an estimated $300,000 in damage to the building, which was valued at $1.8 million, and $200,000 in damage to contents, which had an estimated value of $18 million.

Commercial/Retail

MINNESOTA

Burglary suspect dies in service station fire

A man described in newspaper reports as a burglary suspect died of smoke inhalation injuries after starting a fire in the retail area of a gas station that was closed for the night.

Firefighters were dispatched at 11:30 p.m. to a gas station and convenience store following a phone call to 911.

Law enforcement personnel at the scene advised crews upon arrival to remain at a distance from the building because a man inside the structure was threatening to shoot anyone who came near. Fire crews waited at a nearby establishment until receiving an all-clear notification from law enforcement.

As they approached the scene, crews could see flames coming from the south end of the structure. Crews pulled two attack lines and began to spray water on the building before making entry to search for the body of the occupant, which they found in a janitorial room near the area of fire origin. After bringing the fire under control, crews used positive pressure to ventilate the building while they awaited the fire marshal for removal of the victim.

Newspapers indicated that police officers surrounded the building and made several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate the victim’s surrender.

Investigators determined that the victim used an aerosol can and lighter to ignite items on display shelves and that the fire spread to wood structural components.

The single-story structure occupied a ground-floor area of 1,920 square feet (178 square meters). It had a concrete slab floor, wood walls with metal siding, and a roof wood deck topped by a metal roof cover.

The fire caused an estimated $1,000 in damage to the structure and an additional $1,000 to its contents.

Mercantile/Laundry

NORTH CAROLINA

Commercial laundry fire blamed on electrical fault

Firefighters responding to reports of an afternoon structure fire arrived to find a working fire in a commercial laundromat, with heavy smoke showing on one side of the building.

As a search and rescue team was being organized, incident command was informed by a laundromat employee that all occupants had evacuated the building. Crews from an engine company who entered the building with an attack line to begin extinguishment reported that the fire was well-established. A newly arriving ladder company was directed to perform ventilation operations on the roof, while a second engine company crew pulled an additional hose line into the structure to assist with fire attack.

Amid deteriorating conditions and the presence of lightweight steel truss construction, incident command ordered all crews out of the building and conducted a personnel accountability report. Crews then conducted a defensive operation, utilizing an elevated stream to bring the fire under control. Crews opened one side of the building in several locations to assist with ventilation.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in a shop area where a conveyor system transported clothing wrapped in plastic. The investigators found that electrical wires supplying power to fluorescent lighting in the shop had been woven through metal chains connected to the ceiling and suspended under the conveyor. Contact with the metal chains caused the outer sheath of some of the wiring to degrade, resulting in an electrical arc when the wire came in contact with the metal chains. The arc and subsequent overheating ignited the plastic wrap and spread to clothing.

The facility was a single-story commercial building with framed offices and an overhead mezzanine. It was an exposed steel construction, with metal siding built on a slab foundation and brick veneer on portions of the exterior. The building occupied a ground-floor area of 19,500 square feet (1,812 square meters).

The facility was equipped with an alarm system that activated and alerted the building occupants. Employees also activated alarms at a manual pull station.

The fire caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to the structure and an estimated $5.5 million in damage to its contents.

Hotel and Restaurant

NEW MEXICO

Sprinkler system extinguishes restaurant fire

Firefighters responding to a restaurant’s automatic alarm found that a fire in the kitchen area had already been extinguished by the facility’s sprinkler system.

Crews were dispatched to the fire at noon after the automatic sprinkler system activated and notified a central station alarm. Upon entering the restaurant, fire crews reported that one sprinkler head had opened and was operating above a grill in the kitchen.

Investigators determined that the fire started when a polyester jacket was ignited by radiant heat from a food warmer on which it had been placed.

No information was available on dollar losses caused by the fire.

FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA’s Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments. Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts. Top Photograph: Mackensie Davis/Lassen County Times