Another house fire....

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Theres been another house fire in my area, this one late Sunday afternoon. A family using keroscene heaters somehow accidently used gasoline in one instead-POOF! The house was gone before any fire trucks could get there. Miraculously, they all got out though one child was pretty badly burned-he's in a burn unit at Kosairs Children's hospital in Louisville. Fortunatly, his injuries are not life threatening, and they expect a full recovery. People in the community have really rallied-someone actually donated a mobile home for them to live in, and people have been dropping off donations-both in household goods and cash at several buisnesses in our community.

Please, please everyone be careful out there! This does seem to be the time for house fires to break out. We were eating supper when someone called and said she was terribly sorry but she thought she had left the heater on at school and didn't have keys to get in. (at the middle school, the councilors and therapists work out of a trailer) My husband drove back in to make sure every thing was ok-we just don't want to take the chance of fire. Please, everyone take a couple of minents to make sure things are safe. Melissa had a very good post a couple of weeks ago on fire extiguishers.

-- Kelly (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 13, 2001

Answers

That is terrible news. I know that they have been trying to get everyone who uses kerosene heaters to only use the blue jugs rathere than red ones. It is easy to get in a hurry and forget. I hope the child recovers. I was burnt when I was a child on my arm and part of my face (no scarring though) and it is truly the most awful pain.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 13, 2001.

We have also had three fires in a town close to us. One they said was wires in the attic area. Got me to thinkin of a lady that built a nice new house and a mouse chewed a cord in her attic and the place burned down. Fall is the season for mice to come inside and nest. One of the fires was a heater that malfunctioned. So I second the "be careful" statement.

-- notnow (notnow@blabla.com), December 13, 2001.

In our neck of the woods, we have many agricultural workers who pick winter crops living here over the winter. This time of year, home fires and deaths by suffocation from these poor souls trying to keep their homes warm rise dramatically. These events happened when either kerosene / propane heaters were brought inside the home, or even firewood placed in the bottom of a barrel the same treatment. Sad to see the bodies of kids brought out of these; they say in most situations, what kills the families is lack of oxygen, rather than actually being burnt.

We haven't had any really cold weather yet, but mid December - mid January can get pretty rough out here for these people. I always consider them around this time of year; my mother's family use to pick crops when they were young, and said six - seven to a bed on a cold night was not uncommon. Time to dig out the comforters.

-- j.r. guerra (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), December 13, 2001.


We use a kerosene heater, but only when we are up and about and with a window opened three inches. When we bought ours, we couldn't find those blue containers, so we bought a bright yellow one instead..even though it is just the two of us, you just never know when you might be in a hurry and grab the gasoline....gasoline in red, kerosene in bright yellow...the heaters are very safe if used properly..same with wood stoves and ventless propane heaters..you always have to use caution with anything. How tragic to have a family home catch fire..I cannot imagine how frightful that would be!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), December 13, 2001.

Kelly,

Have someone contact the American Red Cross if it hasn't already been done, one of the "must do's" for any chapter is to give aid for Single Family Fires(SSF). They will give aid for food, clothing, medication lost to the fire, living quarters for the immediately need, and a bunch of other stuff they are taking a lot of grief these days but believe me they can help if they are contacted. Sally

-- (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), December 14, 2001.



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