Season arrives with a blaze: Area fires illustrate dangers

Three area house fires in a span of two days last week are a clear indicator that it is not only the holiday season, but it is also the “home fire season,” as the U.S. Fire Administration calls it.
During the cool and cold months — October through March — almost twice as many people die in house fires than during the rest of the year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Between October 2007 and March 2008, 982 people died in house fires nationwide.

Most house fires could be avoided by simple common sense, local firefighters said.
“Everybody knows” the ways to avoid these fires — “that’s what’s so frustrating,” said James Barber, assistant chief of fire prevention at the Albemarle Fire Rescue Department. “Probably, people don’t realize that they, too, can become victims.”
Robert Bragg, battalion chief with the Charlottesville Fire Department, agreed. “So much of what we see is just careless.”
Both men point out similar common causes of house fires this time of year: portable heating devices placed too close to combustible material; candles left unattended or too close to combustibles; overloaded extension cords; fireplace or woodstove ashes improperly disposed of; and cigarette butts.

And, of course, this time of year there is the added risks of Christmas trees and decorative lights.
Bragg said house fires in the city basically double between November and February, from an average of two or three per month to about five.

In the recent fires, injures were avoided, but three families were forced out of their homes.

On Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, a fire at a home on Monticello Road likely was caused by a space heater that was too close to a bed, according to Bragg.
The house had no smoke detectors, but the family escaped unharmed, he said.
Both fire departments emphasize the importance of smoke detectors, and have programs where they provide the devices for free to residents who can’t afford them.

Another Thanksgiving Day fire happened in the county, on Beaumont Farm Road — but it was no accident.
Barber said fire marshals believe the blaze may have been intentionally set by thieves who’d broken into the home. The family, whose dog was killed in the blaze, was away for the holiday.

A third fire happened on Nov. 29 on Plank Road in the county. It appears the cause was electrical, Barber said. It was an older home with an electrical system that probably couldn’t handle updated appliances.
There have been two fatal fires locally in the past two years, and both of them could have been prevented, authorities said.
In January, a 46-year-old county man died after his townhouse caught fire. Fire investigators believe the blaze was caused by a lit candle left on a fireplace mantle.

In March 2007, a 24-year-old woman was severely injured and her 25-year-old boyfriend killed when their Charlottesville duplex caught fire as they slept. The smoke detector was missing a battery. It was the first fatal fire in Charlottesville in 11 years.
City residents wishing to take part in the free smoke detector program can call 970-3245. In Albemarle, residents can call 296-5833.

SAFETY TIPS

—Make sure the residence has working smoke detectors.
—Keep heating devices, such as space heaters, away from flammable material.
—Never leave lit candles unattended and keep them away from flammable material.
—Properly dispose of ashes from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves; ashes can be a fire hazard for several days; burying and/or dousing them with water works best.
—Do not overload electrical sockets or extension cords.
—Do not cover extension cords with rugs, as they can overheat.
—Properly dispose of cigarette butts.
—During the holidays, make sure Christmas trees are not near heat sources; that decorative lights are working properly; that real trees are prop-erly hydrated; and that artificial trees are nonflammable or fire retardant.