Avoid tragedy of house fire

Last winter, Charleston mom Toya Simmons, her 3-year-old daughter at her side, opened her oven to check on a frozen pizza she was cooking for dinner.

"There were flames," she says. "The oven was on fire."

While pushing Jayla back, Simmons quickly shut the oven door and hit the "off" button on the appliance. Then the pair watched as the flames died down.

"It was scary," she says. "Jayla was standing right there and she was scared. We both were. If the fire spread, it could have been really bad, but thankfully it was just a small fire."

The damage was limited to "stinky smoke" in the apartment and some black soot on the outside of the oven, Simmons says.

"Of course, we couldn't eat the pizza," she says.

Cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. About 40 percent of home fires start in the kitchen.

This is National Fire Prevention Week. Sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, the week commemorates the Great Chicago Fire, which on Oct. 8 and 9, 1871, killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

Through Saturday, fire safety advocates will spread the word to their communities that, with a little extra caution, it's possible to prevent home fires. Many local fire departments are holding parades and displays in observance of the event, and firefighters are also visiting schools and hosting many field trips during October.

Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined in 2007, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Many of these fires are caused by human error.

This year in South Carolina, there have been 38 fire fatalities through July, compared to 60 for all of 2007, according to the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Division for Fire and Life Safety. Two of those fatalities have been in Charleston County, but Berkeley and Dorchester have had none so far this year. Of the 38 fatalities, the top suspected causes are electrical (9) and cooking (8).

Some of the tragedy of a fire can be avoided if smoke detectors are properly installed and maintained, local fire chiefs say. They recommend at least one smoke alarm on each floor and preferably one in every bedroom.

"Smoke will kill you before the fire ever gets to you," says Sullivan's Island Fire Chief Anthony Stith. He says that in addition to checking the batteries when the time changes each spring and fall, his department recommends to children that they ask their parents to change the batteries each year on their birthdays.

People often become distracted while cooking, and in that split second, fire can break out.

In fact, experts suggest that people should never leave food unattended, and make sure the cooking area is free of potholders, dish towels, food packaging or anything else that can burn.

"When people are cooking on the stove, they should not leave pots unattended," Chris Seabolt, chief of the James Island Public Service District. "They can boil over or get hotter than you think."

Seabolt says cooks can try to extinguish small fires themselves, "but if you don't feel comfortable, the best thing is to call the department." Many fires quickly burn out of control and require assistance from the fire department.

Fire risks lurk in other areas of the home, too.

"As it gets colder, space heaters also become a bigger hazard," says Seabolt. "We recommend that people make sure they are not near anything combustible and that they have an automatic shut-off if they tip over."

Use portable heaters only when you are in the room, turning them off when you leave. Keep all space heaters a minimum of four feet away from children, pets and any combustibles, such as curtains, furniture and rugs.

To protect your family from fire:

-- Purchase a fire extinguisher and make sure all adults know how to use it properly.

-- Keep matches and lighters away from kids. "Thankfully, matches are not as much of a problem anymore," Seabolt says. "We have drummed it into people's heads not to leave them laying around."

-- Prepare an escape route from every room in your home. "We suggest that you have an escape plan and practice it," Stith says. "Know two ways out of the house and have a meeting place so you will know when everybody's out. We tell the kids don't worry about dogs, cats, baby dolls and toys. Never go back in the house."

-- Teach your family the American Red Cross rule: Stop, drop and roll.

-- Teach your kids not to be afraid of or hide from firefighters in their gear, which can often frighten little kids. "We have firemen dress up in gear in front of the kids and put the air mask on so kids can hear what it sounds like," Stith says. "We let them touch the fireman and then see him take the gear off so they know it's just a person under all that stuff."

-- Make sure your address is clearly marked on your house. "We tell kids to take their parent by the hand and walk out in front of the house and look back and see if they can see the house numbers," Stith says. "If they can't see them, the firemen won't be able to see them either. These numbers are very important and should be visible from the street."

Common household fire hazards

-- Chimneys and fireplaces. If they are not cleaned regularly, they can collect creosote and smoke, making them more combustible.

-- Exposed light bulbs in over-stuffed closets. An estimated 12 percent of all house fires begin in a closet. Even a 40-watt bulb can generate enough surface heat to ignite fabric or plastic, according to NFPA. Also, never use a higher watt light bulb than a lamp manufacturer suggests.

-- Dryer lint. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, dryers spark almost 16,000 fires annually. Clean out the dryer's lint trap before every load. Don't run your dryer when you're not home. Vacuum hoses and the lint trap regularly to avoid build-up.

-- Vase of water. Believe it or not, the sun shining through water can focus the sun's rays enough to start a fire.

-- Barbecue charcoal. Always store it in a cool, dry place, such as a metal pail or garbage can with a tight lid. Make sure no coals are still hot before you put your cooker back in the garage.

-- Stacks of newspaper. If you stack up enough newspapers, they can generate enough heat to ignite. Store your stacks in a cool, dry place at least 3 feet from heat-generating sources.

-- Overloaded outlets. Make sure there is only one plug per outlet. "We go some places where we see a power strip plugged into a power strip," Seabolt says. "That is much more current than the circuit is designed to deliver."

-- Electrical cords. Make sure they are not frayed and do not have cords running under rugs or over nails, heaters or pipes. Also, extension cords must be rated for intended use.

-- Smoking materials. Many smokers fall asleep while smoking and ignite bedding or furniture.

-- Candles. Unattended candles are a big hazard. Candle fires accounted for an estimated 4 percent of all reported home fires in 2005, according to NFPA. The top five days for home candle fires were Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, and Halloween.

Brenda Rindge can be reached at 937-5713 or at brindge@postandcourier.com.