This weekend’s fatal fire in the Bronx has Rockland’s top safety official offering advice as the temperatures dip below freezing. A space heater and a possibly faulty open door have been targeted as causes of the blaze, allowing the fire and smoke to spread quickly through the building. Rockland’s Director of Fire and Emergency Services Chris Kear says if you’re going to use a portable space heater, it should be UL listed – there’s a sticker on the unit itself or on the box it came in. Kear says it should only be plugged directly into the wall, not to an extension cord or a multi-plug adapter…
Kear says if there is a fire in a room, attempts should be made to close the door as you leave, to keep the smoke and fire confined to that room, if possible. Leaving any door or window open provides oxygen to the fire, helping it grow and spread. Sunday’s five-alarm fire in the Bronx at a 120-unit apartment building left at least 17 people dead, including eight children.
