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.
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