NFPA Journal - May/June 2017 - 80

Firewatch
Investigators reported that the house
was equipped with smoke alarms in two
bedrooms, but indicated that they were
not operating when firefighters arrived.
The single-story structure occupied a
ground-floor area of 880 square feet (82
square meters).
The fire caused an estimated $60,000
in damage to the house, which was
valued at $109,000, as well as $15,000
in damage to its contents, whose value
was estimated at $30,000.

MINNESOTA
Elderly resident dies in fire started
by smoking materials
An elderly woman with a mobility disability suffered unspecified injuries when
she was unable to escape after setting fire
to a chair with a dropped cigarette.  
Firefighters received a report of a
house fire at 10:43 p.m. Upon arrival,
crews found an occupant outside the
structure and an active fire on the
first floor of one unit of a side-by-side

duplex. EMS crews treated the victim
before transporting her to the hospital. Firefighters were able to quickly
knock down the fire, which was largely
confined to the living room where the
chair was located.
The victim's adult son, who lived in
the adjacent unit, informed investigators that his mother phoned him to tell
him that her chair was on fire and she
couldn't get off.  He found his mother
and the chair on fire when he came to
her aid and pulled her from the chair,
then carried her outside.  His mother
told him that the fire started after she
dropped the cigarette on the chair
while sitting in it.
The victim succumbed to her injuries
four days after the fire.
The house was a two-story structure
with a main floor area of 2,584 square
feet (240 square meters).
Losses from the fire were estimated
at $75,000 in damage to the structure
and $25,000 to its contents.

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12.03.15 14:57

ALABAMA
Woman fatally injured when kitchen
stove ignites sleeve while cooking
Firefighters were dispatched to a
reported fire at an apartment complex
at 8 a.m. following a 911 call from a
health services worker making a home
visit to a neighboring residence.
Upon arrival, crews found smoke
showing from a two-unit structure and
pulled an attack line for initial fire
attack. The health services worker who
reported the fire told the incident commander that the apartment's occupant
was likely still inside.
Crews entered the apartment to conduct a primary search, but were unable
to locate the occupant. The interior
attack crew then contacted incident
command to request a thermal imaging
camera and an additional flashlight.
After acquiring the equipment, the
crews conducted a secondary search
and located a female occupant on the
floor between the kitchen and dining
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2017
