Yakima, Washington – Fire Breaks Out in Abandoned Building

Yakima, Washington (January 29, 2020) – A fire broke out in an abandoned building on the 115 block of North 10th Street on Wednesday afternoon. According to the article from KIMA News, the building was a former nursing home that has been empty for many years. No injuries were reported in the incident.

According to the report, crews from the Yakima Fire Department responded to the incident around 2:11 p.m., and found a small fire in one of the rooms in the back side of the building. The fire was reported to have been put out within minutes of the firefighters’ arrival. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but as the building had no utilities it is suspected that the fire had been started by someone.

About Fire

Fortunately this incident did not result in any injuries. While this incident might have been a cause of arson, fires caused by other reasons can also result in injuries and destruction. 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.

[cta]