Pacific, Washington – Apartment Fire

Pacific, Washington (March 24, 2019) – A reported minor grease fire on 1:33 a.m. at 300 of Pacific Avenue North became a full commercial alarm when responding firefighters found dark, heavy smoke showing through the front door. The apartment fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters from the Valley Region Fire Authority. No one was injured in the incident.

After the blaze was extinguished, firefighters conducted a search of the building which confirmed there were no victims. The investigation ruled the fire was accidental and started from cooking material.

About Fires

The US Fire Administration has recorded 15 home fire fatalities this year within Washington.  Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association 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. Grease fires start when animal or vegetable oil spills over the side of the pan and ignites in the fire. It is a very alarming situation, but there are steps one can follow to prevent the fire from spreading. The best way to handle this situation is to immediately cover the container with a lid and remove the heat source. The container must cool down before being opened again, as heat can restart the fire. Water is not recommended for extinguishing this type of flame, however baking soda or salt can be used to smother the fire.

Other risks related to home fire have also been listed by the NFPA. According to the statistics, households that used electrical ranges were said to be at a higher risk for fires and losses compared to households that used gas ranges. While clothing being the first item to be ignited happened in less than 1  percent of cooking fires, it must be noted that clothing ignitions accounted for 15 percent of deaths in these types of fires, which should present the hazards of your clothes catching on fire. Lastly, more than half of non-fatal injuries happened when people tried to control the fire by themselves. There are many dangers associated with fire, and we urge everyone to always stay safe during these types of accidents.

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