NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 35

ignited combustible materials that were stacked directly around and over it in piles three to four feet high. Media coverage reported that firefighters had difficulty maneuvering inside the structure due to the large volume of stored items, at times having to crawl over piles of material in order to access some areas. They were reportedly able to quickly extinguish the fire once they reached the room where the heater was located. According to media reports, after the fire was out crews undertook a lengthy search before finding the body of the victim under debris, who was said to have been declared dead by medics at the scene. The house was constructed with a wood frame and floor joists, wood and plaster walls, with asphalt shingles on wood roof framing. It was equipped with a working battery-operated alarm. The two-story house had a ground floor area of 1,200 square feet (111 square meters). The building, valued at $500,000, was determined to be a total loss, and there was an additional $30,000 in losses to building contents. connected to each other and that one became overheated where the second was connected, causing wood molding in the living room to ignite. The victims died of smoke inhalation injuries and carbon dioxide poisoning. The male victim was bedridden. Two die in apartment fire blamed on surge protector LOUISIANA-An overheated surge protector was blamed for starting an early afternoon apartment fire that took the lives of a husband and wife. The fire department was notified when a neighbor called 911 at 12:11 p.m. Newspaper reports indicated that fire was rolling from the windows and front door of the small apartment as the first crews reached the scene. Firefighters were reportedly able to control the fire within 15 minutes. According to reports, an adult son of the victims had made an unsuccessful attempt to rescue them from the blaze before crews arrived. He was transported to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation injuries. Investigators determined that two multi-plug surge protectors were SYS4634F4NFPAJ0916.indd 1 The single-story apartment had a concrete block exterior and wood frame interior. The roof was constructed of wood with asphalt shingling. The ground floor area was 418 square feet (39 square meters). Damage to the house and contents, valued at $150,000, was estimated at $95,000. Worried about New Code Requirements? We have you covered. Are you ready? Effective January 1st, 2014, jurisdictions that have adopted NFPA 72®: 2010 or 2013 will be required to utilize audible devices that have a low frequency tone (centered around 520Hz) in all new commercial sleeping spaces. Low frequency sounders and sounder strobes are the first line of notification appliances to meet the new low frequency requirements for sleeping spaces. To learn more, visit: silentknight.com/lowfrequency ©2016 Silent Knight. All Rights Reserved. 35 8/11/16 12:02 PM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 2016 NFPA JOURNAL

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2016