800-786-2178

Login

Cooking Fire Displaces Texas Family of Four

News from FOX44 – Temple, Texas…

A Monday evening cooking fire has left a family of four homeless.  Temple Fire & Rescue responded the fire Monday, in the 2400 Block of Valley Forge Avenue.  The first Engine Company arrived to find moderate smoke coming from a downstairs apartment of a four unit apartment complex. Firefighters confirmed everyone was out of the apartment as they began an interior attack. Due to the potential for fire spreading to the other three apartment units and as a precaution, the incident commander requested a second alarm assignment sending two additional Engine companies and one Rescue Company on the call.

october_temple_fireFire investigation determined the fire was unintentional and started from unattended cooking. One of the adults cooking became distracted and forgot to turn off the stove prior to leaving the apartment. The kitchen sustained heavy fire damage with the living room, bedrooms and bathroom receiving smoke and heat damage. A dollar loss has not been calculated. The apartment was protected by working smoke alarms. There were no injuries. The American Red Cross is working with the two adults and two children to assist with their immediate needs

Comments (0) Blog, Multi-Family

Read more

Hotel and Motel Stays Can Be Deadly

Every year there are almost 4,000 hotel and motel fires reported to U.S. fire departments, resulting in $76 million in property loss, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Almost 50 percent of these fires are started by cooking. Fortunately, they tend to stay small and confined. One of the most memorable and deadly fires was the MGM Hotel fire in Las Vegas in 1980 which killed 85 people and injured scores more.

Since I started in the fire prevention business years ago, many positive changes have been made to make hotel and motel kitchens safer, but still fires do He added that kitchens can be retrofitted as well.

Rouse offered 5 tips travelers can take to protect themselves:

    • Make sure that you confirm that the hotel or motel is equipped with automatic sprinklers and fire alarms before you travel – this is especially important for trips outside the country as the strict U.S. standards may not apply.
    • Pack a small flashlight.
    • Review the evacuation map posted on the floor where you are staying.
    • If there is a fire, always use a stairwell and not an elevator.

If there is a fire, feel the door of your room. If it is hot, keep it closed and seal it with wet towels. Call 911 and let the operator know which room in the hotel you are staying, and signal from your window. Break it if you have to.

The Guardian is designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and at the same time prevents re-ignition. Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, a signal is sent to release the extinguishing agent to suppress the fire and to shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting. The design of the system offers:

      • automatic operation
      • continuous 24-hour protection
      • concealed installation
      • easy clean-up
      • proven reliability

“It is imperative to minimize damage and injury to travelers and employees alike,” Rouse said. “The Guardian system provides speed and protection.”

 

Comments (0) Markets, Multi-Family

Read more