Area Firefighters Respond to 3 Weekend Calls

IRONWOOD, MI - Monday, February 18, 2008 - According to an Ironwood Public Safety Department press release the Chronicle received today, the fire that destroyed the home on South Marquette Street is only one of three fire calls the Ironwood Public Safety Department and the Ironwood Volunteer Fire Department responded to over the weekend.

Twelve IPSD officers and eight volunteer firefighters responded at 8:44 PM, Friday evening to a structure fire at 334 South Marquette Street. Firefighters fought the blaze for over three hours, only to be called back to the scene at 3:56 AM to extinguish an area that had rekindled. No one was home at the time of the blaze. IPSD officers and volunteers were assisted by the Hurley Fire Department, Beacon Ambulance and the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is believed to have been from at least one space heater. The home received extensive damage.

On Sunday morning at 7:33 AM, eight IPSD officers and eight volunteers responded to a chimney fire at 136 West Birch Street. The chimney of the three story home was destroyed and the home received minor damage. IPSD officers and volunteers were assisted by the Hurley Police Department.

At 9:26 AM Sunday morning, eight IPSD officers and six volunteers responded to 335 South Marquette Street. The occupant reported smoke in her home. IPSD officers located a ballast, which was overheating. The Hurley Police Department again assisted IPSD.

The Ironwood Public Safety Department and the Ironwood Volunteer Fire Department have responded to seven fire calls in the past week. There were no reported injuries in any of the fire calls.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about 21,800 residential fires every year in the United States are associated with space heaters, including both fixed and portable varieties.

Each year, approximately three hundred people die in fires started by space heaters. Supplemental heating equipment, such as electrical and kerosene heaters, is the leading cause of home fires in the United States during the months of December, January, and February, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Safety Tips

· Don't use space heaters to warm bedding, cook food, thaw pipes, or dry clothing. They are designed to have one function -- to provide supplemental heat.

· Make sure your space heater has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. These heaters meet the required safety standards.

· Make sure the space heater includes a tip-over switch to insure that it shuts off if it accidentally tips over.

· The manufacturer's operating instructions, included with the heater, need to be closely read and followed.

· Keep combustibles such as curtains, chairs, firewood, and even walls at least three (3) feet away from the heater.

· If possible DON'T use extension cords for space heaters. If you have to use an extension cord with your electric heater, make sure it is marked with a power rating at least as high as that of the heater itself. If you can find one that is rated higher -- all the better. Keep the cord stretched out and do not allow it to become buried under carpeting or rugs. Do not place anything on top of the cord. If the cord ever feels even slightly warm discontinue use!

· Keep pets, elderly, and children away from space heaters.

· NEVER leave a space heater unattended.

· NEVER use a space heater in the room where you will be sleeping.

· NEVER place heaters on furniture. They are designed to be placed on the floor.

· NEVER use heaters in wet or moist places, such as bathrooms.

· NEVER place heaters where towels or other objects could fall on the heater and start a fire.

· NEVER use liquid fuel powered space heaters indoors.

Every level of your home should have a working smoke detector that is tested on a monthly basis. The batteries in the detectors should be changed in the Spring and Fall when you adjust your clocks. Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two routes to escape from bedrooms and is familiar with exit strategies throughout the house.

Jim Albert