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.
Early intel assessment says Iran’s nuclear program was only set back ‘a few months’
President Trump has said U.S. strikes on Iran obliterated the country's nuclear program. An early intelligence assessment finds the strikes may only have set it back "a few months."
‘A lid on a pot’: How does a heat dome work?
"If you've made grilled cheese in a pan and you put a lid on there, it melts the cheese faster because the lid helps trap the heat," a National Weather Service official told NPR.
Why is China so concerned about Israel-Iran tensions?
China is closely watching whether Israel and Iran can broker a ceasefire. Beijing gets much of its crude oil imports from Iran through a "dark fleet" of vessels to evade American sanctions.
As Sean Combs’ prosecutors rest, here is the case they’ve made
The meandering trial of the hip-hop mogul can be difficult to parse. Here's a broad overview of the charges and the case the government has presented to the jury.
What to know about ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Florida migrant detention center in progress
Florida's attorney general says the facility is on track to open in early July, at a little-used airfield in the Everglades. Environmental activists hope they can repeat history and stop the project.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell says tariff uncertainty warrants caution on rate cuts
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, under continued attack from President Trump, says the impact of tariffs on inflation should become clearer in the coming months.
