Maple Falls, Washington – Heater Causes Fire in Residence

Maple Falls, Washington (September 27, 2019) – A couch caught on fire due to a heater in a residence on the 8500 block of Golden Valley Road on Saturday morning. Fortunately the fire was extinguished in a short period of time, and the only damage reported was to the couch and the heater. Smoke needed to be ventilated from the home, but other than that no injuries were reported.

According to the report, the Whatcom Fire District 14 responded to the incident near 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. The family living in the home was awakened by the fire alarm, but couldn’t find any flames. The Fire District found that the source of smoke was the backside of the couch, which had been placed next to the heater. Fortunately, the fire was said to have burnt out the motor and the wiring of the device, tripping the breaker in the process and nearly extinguishing the flames.

About Fire

The dangers of fire cannot be underestimated – the US Fire Administration has recorded 15 home fire fatalities this year 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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