Seattle Fire Department: The NYC High-Rise Fire And How To Prevent And Prepare

Seattle WA

12 January, 2022

2:08 PM

Description

Press release from the Seattle Fire Department : William Mace January 12, 2022 On Sunday, January 9, 2022, a fire in a New York City high-rise apartment building killed 17 people, including eight children. This horribly tragic event is a grim reminder of the devastation that can occur from fires in residential buildings. The loss of life from major fires is always difficult and we want share important fire safety information with our communities with the hope of preventing such tragedies. Early reports from this fire tell us that an electric space heater started the fire. While the details are not known as of this writing, we know that most fires involving space heaters start when items are placed too close to a space heater or when a space heater is plugged into an extension cord and not directly into the wall outlet. Be safe with portable space heaters: More on heating safety from the National Fire Protection Association We also learned from this fire that the apartment door where the fire started was left open after the residents fled the apartment. In addition, some exit doors did not self close which allowed for smoke to enter stairwells and hallways and spread throughout the building and made evacuating the building dangerous and deadly. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, not fire, which is what kills most people in a fire. What to do if a fire starts inside your apartment If you can evacuate, do so immediately. If you are unable to use the stairs or if smoke is blocking your exit, shelter in place: Make a plan before the next fire alarm sounds. Your plan should include all members of the household. Please watch and share this video on responding to a fire in an apartment building. Fire Safety Handbook for Multi-Residential Buildings. For more information on fire prevention and safety visit the Seattle Fire Department website. This press release was produced by the Seattle Fire Department. The views expressed here are the author's own.