Olympia, Washington – One Person Injured in Apartment Fire

Olympia, Washington (January 23, 2020) – An apartment on the 210 block of Bethel Street Northeast caught on fire on Thursday afternoon, resulting in one resident sustaining injuries. According to the article from the The Olympian, a man in his 30s sustained respiratory burns and has been airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. Another occupant was able to escape the blaze without injuries, and the fire department did not report any other injuries among the responding crews. The fire had been contained to one unit and the Red Cross has been contacted to provide shelter for the displaced resident.

Crews from the Olympia Fire Department were dispatched to the scene around 3:15, with a response from Lacey Fire District 3 also responding to the scene. Smoke and an active fire was found in a first floor unit and was extinguished by firefighters.The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. The incident caused Bthel Street Northeast to be closed for more than an hour at Fourth Avenue.

About Fire

The dangers of fire cannot be underestimated – the US Fire Administration reported that 41 home fire fatalities were reported in 2018 within Washington. Statistics from the NFPA have recorded that cooking equipment were the leading cause of home structure fires, home fire injuries, as well as being the second leading case of home fire deaths. Additionally, smoking materials are the leading case of home fire deaths, though it isn’t always the case every year. Always handle fire with wariness and see to it that fires are always extinguished after use. Remember also to assess the area where fire is going to be used and see to it that complete fire safety is practiced at all times.

Aside from cooking equipment and smoking materials, electrical causes remain to be one of the top causes for home fires according to the NFPA. Their Electrical Fire Reports to the U.S Fire Department since 2000 estimates around 45,000 to 55,000 cases of home fires being caused by electrical malfunction every year. Annual losses due to electrical fire result in 455 civilian deaths, 1, 500 civilian injuries and 1.5 billion of dollars in direct property damage. From these statistics, the risk from electrical fire is very real and should not be underestimated. As for the accidents themselves, the NFPA lists 63 percent involved wiring and related equipment, 74 percent cited some sort of electrical failure or malfunction, and wire or cable insulation was the first item ignited in 32 percent of electrical distribution or lighting equipment home structure fires. From these cases, one must always review and identify potential fire hazards and fix them to avoid damages, injuries or deaths.

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