Winter poses danger with house fires

For several dozen residents of South Norwalk, Danbury and Fairfield, Christmas 2018 will long be remembered not for joyful gatherings, presents and feasts, but for toxic smoke, searing heat and heavy flames.

For those forced out into the cold this week by residential fires, the true blessing of the holiday was escaping uninjured, albeit displaced.

’Tis the season for house fires. Each year between 2014 and 2016, an estimated 108,200 winter residential building fires caused an estimated 980 deaths, 3,575 injuries, and $1.9 billion in property loss, according to a new report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

House fires peaked in January, February and March. While they accounted for just 8 percent of the total number of fires in America, winter house fires resulted in 30 percent of all fire deaths, and 23 percent of injuries.

Cooking caused the most winter house fires, FEMA reports. Not surprisingly, these started in kitchens and peaked during dinner hours. The vast majority were small and contained.

Most winter house fires that spread started in kitchens, too, but they were more often caused by carelessness, electrical malfunctions, open flames or faulty heating. A heat source too close to combustibles was the leading culprit. In 22 percent of these fires, there were no working smoke alarms.

Fire officials say modern materials burn faster and hotter, giving people less time to escape. Along with smoke alarms, officials recommend practicing emergency exit fire drills in the home.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Christmas tree fires, though rare, were more likely to be serious, resulting in one death for every 32 reported. One in four were caused by heat sources too close to trees.

Candles started two out of five home decoration fires, most of them on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Home heating was the second leading cause of residential winter fires. FEMA recommends keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters or woodstoves. Plug portable heaters directly into wall sockets rather than extension cords or power strips. Only use heaters with automatic shutoffs, and turn them off before leaving the room or going to bed.

Keep metal screens in front of fireplaces and hot ashes outside, in metal containers at least three feet from homes.

Chimneys and furnaces should be inspected and cleaned by professionals once a year. Kerosene heaters should be cooled before they’re refueled, always outdoors.

Faulty wiring caused 45,000 home fires each year. Resulting deaths peaked between midnight and 8 a.m. FEMA recommends plugging only one heat-producing appliance into a wall socket at a time. Extension cords should never be used with heat-producing or major appliances. Replace worn or damaged cords, and only use them temporarily.

Don’t exceed the recommended wattage on light fixtures, and never force a three-pronged cord into a two-slot outlet. Make this a safe holiday season.

For more tips, visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/ prevention/outreach/winter.html https://bit.ly/2104i9Z