Fire Cause Determination - Trailer Fire at 2719 S. Roan Street Lot #13

UPDATE:  The Johnson City Fire Marshal's Office has made a determination on the cause of the fire that occurred at 2719 S. Roan St. #13 on December 9, 2010.  Asst. Fire Marshal Lori Ratliff has determined the fire started in a bedroom after a child had been playing with a lighter.  The fire started on a bed and spread throughout the home before firefighters arrived.  A two year old was rescued from a front bedroom by JCFD firefighters.  Two other children sustained injuries and were treated at an area hospital.  The two children have since been released. 

The child and siblings were home with a babysitter while their mother had gone to pick up their father at work.  When the parents arrived back home they found their home in flames and three of their four children outside.  They made numerous attempts to rescue the fourth child before firefighters arrived.  Their mother and father sustained minor injuries from their attempts to rescue the child. Both parents were treated at the hospital and released. 

 

Contact:

Lori C. Ratliff, Asst. Fire Marshal

Johnson City Fire Dept.

333 E. Maple St.

Johnson City, TN  37601

(423) 434-6184  office

(423) 483-5832  cell

(423) 434-6180  fax

 

 

 

 

Mark J. Finucane

Interim Fire Chief

Johnson City Fire Department

505 East Main Street

Johnson City, Tennessee

(O) 423.975.2852

(Fax) 423.975.2846

mfinucane@johnsoncitytn.org

firebank@comcast.net

 

FW: House Fire/509 East Fairview Avenue

 

 

 

 

Fire units from the Johnson City Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 509 East Fairview on December 10, 2010.  The call was received at 11:11 PM for smoke coming from a house.  The first arriving Engine reported heavy smoke coming from a two story structure.  Firefighters found the structure to be a large wood frame house that had been segmented into four apartments.  A first floor apartment was found to be burning and fire was extending to the second floor.  The rear of the structure received heavy fire damage to both first and second floor apartments.  Fire also extended to the roof and exterior of the structure.  The two alarm fire required five Engine Companies and one Ladder Company to extinguish.  Four pets were safely removed from the structure by firefighters. The Johnson City Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

 

Captain Mark Scott

Shift Supervisor

Johnson City Fire Department

House Fire at 3005 Vicksburg Rd.

At 04:01 AM this date, the Johnson City Fire Department was dispatched to 3005 Vicksburg Road on a report of a house fire.  When fire crews arrived on the scene, fire was coming from the back of the home.  Engine Seven arrived first on the scene and advised the occupants had exited the home.  The structure suffered heavy damage to the sun room, living area, and attic.  Five Engine Companies and one Ladder Company operated at the fire due to fire conditions and extreme temperatures. 

 

The Johnson City Fire Marshal’s Office was called to investigate the origin and cause of the fire.

 

Structure Fire 2719 S. Roan St. #13

On Thursday, December 09, 2010 at approx. 1:23am, the Johnson City Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Houston Mobile Home Park, 2719 S. Roan St. #13.  While en route, dispatchers informed firefighters that children were still inside the structure.  Engine Two arrived on the scene and found a fully involved mobile home.  Firefighters were immediately informed that one child was still inside.  The crew of Engine Two entered the structure under adverse conditions, conducted a search, and located a two year old child in a bedroom.  An infant and two other children were removed from the home prior to the Fire Department’s arrival.   The two year old child and the infant were transported to the Johnson City Medical Center by Washington County/Johnson City EMS.  The Johnson City Police Department assisted at the fire scene. 

 

The Johnson City Fire Marshal’s Office is continuing the investigation.

 

Captain Mark Scott

Shift Supervisor

Johnson City Fire Department

(423) 975-2840

 

JCFD responds to a House Trailer Fire -Nov. 22

Johnson City Fire Department units responded to a report of a structure fire at 205 BIG VALLEY DR #5O at 16:14 on November 22, 2010. Engine Company 9, the first arriving unit, found smoke coming from the structure and deployed a hose line to initiate fire attack through the front entrance. Crews worked to extinguish the fire, salvage property and control utilities.
The investigation determined that a frying pan, containing oil, was left unattended on the stove. When the resident returned from an errand, the kitchen and living area was on fire.  There were no reports of injuries. The American Red Cross responded to the scene and provided assistance to the occupant's family.

 

Incident Command: Lt. Lynn Peters

 

**A reminder to us all to be Safety Conscious. Cooking fires are one of the most common causes of residential structure fires**

 

 

Lt. Robert C. Johnson

Johnson City Fire Department

Fire Training Division

423.232.7048

423.676.6599

rjohnson@johnsoncitytn.org

FireDept@johnsoncitytn.org

www.johnsoncitytn.org

 

Dryer Vent Fire at a Johnson City Apartment Building

Quick response by occupant and the Johnson City Fire Department minimizes damage to an apartment.

 

The Johnson City Fire Department responded to a report of an apartment fire at 5:59 am on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 905 Antioch Road #11. The initial dispatch included three engines and one ladder apparatus. Two engines clearing from a prior call and closer responded and arrived on scene in one minute and forty seconds. This initially gave a total of 6 firemen on the scene. The first arriving fire engine company found light smoke and the fire extinguished inside the apartment. Firefighters established that the occupant had terminated the power supply to a dryer at the breaker box and had moved the unit away from the wall. The fire was determined to be in the flexible vent hose that exhausted hot moist air to the outside. Fire inside the unit was extinguished prior to the arrival of the fire department. Firefighters investigated the crawl space to find lint from the vent hose still burning. A portable water extinguisher was used to extinguish the smolder fire. There was minor charring to the structure’s floor members and the interior floor covering of the laundry room.  Natural ventilation was incorporated in the removal of smoke in the apartment which reduced smoke damage to the building. Fire damage is estimated at $800.00. There were no injuries to occupants or fire personnel.

 

For more information contact:

 

Stanley Elie Daniels, Captain

Johnson City Fire Department

sedaniels@johnsoncitytn.org

423-483-5828

423-975-2840

 

 

 

 

 

Mark J. Finucane

Interim Fire Chief

Johnson City Fire Department

505 East Main Street

Johnson City, Tennessee

(O) 423.975.2852

(Fax) 423.975.2846

mfinucane@johnsoncitytn.org

firebank@comcast.net

 

Home Heating Safety

PRESS RELEASE

 

For Immediate Release: October 25, 2010

 

From the Office of Interim Chief Mark Finucane

 

Contact: Acting Operations Assistant Chief Jason Powell

     423.975.2844 (o)

     423.483.5819 (c)

________________________________________________________________

HOME HEATING SAFETY

 

Check your Wall Heater Setting

 

In January of this year the Johnson City Fire Department ran a call to a residence where a sofa had been placed in front of a wall heater. This type of heater had a thermostat labeled as "High", "Med", "Low", and "No Heat". Even though the thermostat on the heater was in the "No Heat" position, the heater still came on. This was possibly due to the fact that the heater was on an exterior wall and the colder outside temperatures. Some wall heaters are never in the "Off" mode. Many wall heaters have only "High", "Med", and "Low" settings, thus they are never in "Off" mode either.

 

It is easy to place combustibles in front of these heaters during the warmer months and forget about the consequences until the colder months arrive. Fire codes require that no combustibles be closer than 3 feet of a heater of any type. While only 32 percent of home heating fires involve space heaters, they are involved in 79 percent of home heating fire deaths, according to the report Home Fires Involving Heating Equipment released by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Heating equipment continues to be the second leading cause of home fires behind cooking and the second leading cause of home fire deaths behind smoking.

The Johnson City Fire Department and the NFPA is urging caution and asking the public to practice safe heating behaviors as the peak time for home heating fires continues from October through March. Half of all home heating fires occurred in December, January and February in 2003-2007.

“Half of fatal home space heater fires started because something was too close to the heater and ignited. Keep heaters and things that can burn at least three feet apart,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “Heating fires and the deaths they cause can usually be prevented with awareness and a few simple actions.”

The leading factor contributing to space heater fires in general was heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding. Other leading factors contributing to home space heater fires were failure to clean, which is principally related to creosote build-up in chimneys, and leaving an operating space heater unattended.

“Whether your chimney supports a wood or coal stove or just a fireplace, be sure to have it cleaned and inspected at least once a year to reduce your risk of having a fire,” added Carli. “And always turn off a portable space heater when you go to sleep or leave the room.”

In 2007, U.S. fire departments responded to 66,400 home structure fires that involved heating equipment. These fires killed 580 people, injured another 1,850, and were responsible for $608 million in direct property damage

Safety tips  

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms monthly.