Alabama Ranks High in Nation for Number of Home Fire Deaths
Officials from an emergency response agency say Alabama ranks high among states for the number of home fires and deaths.
The American Red Cross of Alabama reported that, just in January, 2016, they responded to 181 home fires from which 18 people have died. A total of 21 people have died from home fires so far this year in Alabama. As a result, the state ranks in the top ten on a list of states with the highest number of deaths due to home fires.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about fire safety,” says Red Cross spokeswoman Alicia Anger. “For example, people often think they have anywhere between five and ten minutes to get out of the house during a fire. But through our research and through research with fire departments across the nation, you only have two minutes to escape a home fire.”
Anger says the majority of home fires occur in the kitchen when people are cooking. She adds that improper use of appliances like space heaters are also a big cause of home fires during the winter months.
Stephen Holmes with the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office said in an email today that the state just counted its 21st death due to a home fire this year. Combustible materials placed too close to a heat source resulted in the death of 62-year-old Ruby Carter. Her common-law husband, Donnie Lee Brown, was severely injured attempting to rescue Carter and remains hospitalized in Montgomery’s Jackson Hospital. No smoke detector/fire alarm were present in the home.
Alicia Anger says a lack of properly functioning smoke detectors/alarms in Alabama homes contributes significantly to the high number of deaths due to fire in the state.
Critics said ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ would flop. They underestimated Turtle Power
After 35 years, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is back in theaters. The film's director looks back on the obstacles to making it in the first place.
With replay review and ‘robot umps,’ who is still trying to become an MLB umpire?
Between replay review, automated balls and strikes and viral lowlights on social media, the work of baseball umpires has been transformed by technology. But none of that has deterred aspiring umpires.
Inside one of the most understaffed immigration courts in the country
The Chelmsford, Mass., court has hemorrhaged judges, a consequence of the Trump administration's seemingly contradictory efforts to downsize the federal government and increase immigration arrests.
Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not
Kari Lake has sought to dismantle Voice of America and its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency has recently called her its acting CEO. But the law suggests she's not eligible for the job.
With midterms more than a year away, a record number of lawmakers are eyeing the exits
A record number of Congressional lawmakers have announced they don't plan to run for their current seats in 2026, including three sitting senators leaving Washington to run for governor.
High prices and healthcare costs may turn Latino voters away from Republicans in 2026
Latino voters helped deliver the White House to President Trump in the last election but many of them already say they won't vote for Republicans next year, but they aren't yet turning to Democrats.