Officials stress fire prevention [Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.]

Aug. 31--The five city and county structure fires that killed five people and destroyed several homes since Friday is unusual, according to Battalion Chief Steve Leonard of the Owensboro Fire Department.

August is typically a slow month for fires, Leonard said Monday.

"The statistics show you the most deadly time for fires occurs in the wintertime when you're actually occupying your home more often," he said.

City and county fire department officials want residents to be aware of ways to prevent fires and to be prepared in case fires break out at their homes.

Firefighters fought two deadly fires Friday.

Wendy Devine, 35; her two children, Ryan Devine, 2, and Jerry Devine, 3; and Wendy Devine's father, Jerry Marsh, whose age wasn't available, were killed in a fire Friday morning in their home at 2204 W. Parrish Ave.

The cause of the fire will likely be released today, Leonard said. He previously had told the Messenger-Inquirer that the point of origin appears to have been a large chair near the rear door, and that the fire may have been smoking related.

Cheri Riley, 57, of the 8600 block of Kentucky 2830 died after a camping trailer she was staying in at Daviess County Fish & Game caught fire Friday afternoon. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire started on a mattress, said Harvey Henderson, fire inspector for the Daviess County Fire Department.

Both Leonard and Henderson said having working smoke detectors is key to keeping residents safe.

He said inspectors had checked the Devine's residence several times and had not found smoke detectors in the home.

"It seems like when these incidents occur, it's unfortunate timing, but it's an opportunity to say you've got (to have) smoke detectors," Leonard said. "Make sure you've got a plan of action."

The Owensboro Fire Department has conducted studies that found that about 85 percent of homes have smoke detectors in them. Of those, about 50 percent work.

Henderson recommends checking smoke detectors once a month and changing their batteries at least once a year. Smoke detectors should also be cleaned out regularly because they can get a buildup of dust and not work properly.

Mike Haney, chief deputy of the state fire marshal's office, said to his knowledge, a landlord is not responsible for a residence having a smoke detector if a rental property is a single-family dwelling.

Smoke detectors are required on properties with three units or more, he said.

Since 1999 or 2000, the Kentucky Residential Code has required that smoke detectors be placed in new homes, Haney said.

"There's not an inspection program for existing homes because that's their private domain," he said.

The Owensboro Fire Department has a grant to install smoke detectors in local homes, and it has more than 100 smoke detectors to distribute.

If residents have smoke detectors on every level of their home, they have a 50 percent or better chance of surviving a fire, Leonard said. They have a 90 percent chance for escape if there is a smoke detector in every room.

There is a 90 percent chance someone will die in a fire if they don't have a smoke detector and a fire breaks out, Leonard said.

'Just bad luck'

The county fire department fought two house fires that were called out within 10 minutes of each other on Saturday evening. Homes at 311 Church St. in Stanley and 10142 Kentucky 662 in Yelvington were heavily damaged, though no residents were injured.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the Yelvington fire, which was an electrical fire. The Stanley fire is still under investigation.

The city fire department responded to a grease fire that caused extensive heat and smoke damage to a home at 2226 W. Seventh St. on Sunday morning.

Henderson said "there's no rhyme or reason" for why the fires popped up over the past few days.

"Just bad luck is what's going on," he said. "In no way are any of these connected or anything like that. It's just a bad time for us right now. Hopefully, people will be more cautious because of those."

Henderson recommends that homeowners keep a fire extinguisher in their home, suggesting they be stored in the kitchen or utility rooms. Everybody in the household should know how to work it.

Fire extinguishers shouldn't be used to put out anything larger than a trash can fire, though they might be able to help someone evacuate a home, Henderson said.

"If you can get out, get out. ... People think they can fight a fire," he said. "They can't."

Being vigilant about household appliances can help prevent fires, as well.

Residents should unplug appliances that aren't used all the time, such as coffee makers or toaster ovens. Unattended cooking fires are also common.

The county fire department works several dryer fires each year, Henderson said. Residents should check their dryer vent and lint trap to make sure they are cleaned out.

"You should never leave an appliance like that running when you are not at home," Henderson said.

Lights flickering, the smell of electrical wire burning or electrical outlets popping or sparking are some signs of potential electrical problems.

Residents should have a fire escape plan and a safe meeting place outside the house, Henderson said.

"Time is your enemy," Leonard said. "If you're not out of a dwelling in 2 to 4 minutes, you will likely die in that fire."

Smoke itself can be well over 1,000 degrees, he said. He recommends residents keep flashlights by their beds. If a fire occurs while residents are in bed, they should roll out of bed onto their hands and knees and exit through a door or window.

"You're below that thermal layer and have better visibility," Leonard said. "The biggest mistake you can make is standing up in that thermal layer. Many fire deaths were in bed or by their bed. You do not stand up into that smoke layer."

People also need to have at least two ways to get out of their house and be able to open their windows.

Residents should feel the back of doors with their hands to make sure it's not too hot, Henderson said.

"If the fire is on the other side of the door, the worse thing you can do is open the door," he said. "The fire could be drawn in."

Both Henderson and Leonard said the past week's fire fatalities are the most to happen at one time in their careers.

"The one thing that I have found with firefighters is, anytime there is a fire death, they share the grief of that fire death loss because it's a tragic event," Leonard said. "We realize that that tragic event would have occurred whether we were there or not ... still, it's difficult. People have the assumption it doesn't bother firefighters. It bothers us as much as anybody. ... This job has always been a job when you see people on the worst day of their life, and you try to make it better.

"What's so difficult, sometimes no matter what you can do, you can't make it better."

Smoke Detectors

To learn more about smoke detectors the Owensboro Fire Department has available, call OFD's Fire Prevention Bureau at 687-8404 or 687-8407.

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