Two devastating fires in Philadelphia and New York City in the last week are raising questions about fire safety. NewsRadio KDKA's Shelby Cassesse has the story.
17 people were killed in a Bronx apartment fire Sunday, and 12 killed in a Philadelphia row home last Wednesday. It’s put fire safety in the spotlight, especially in multi-family residences and buildings.
Tom Cook, Pennsylvania’s fire commissioner, says the precautions are similar, no matter where you live.
“Know your primary way out. Know a second way out if the primary way is blocked, you know with smoke, or heat, or a fire. Have a meeting point once the family is outside of the building, so that you can account for everybody.”
The National Fire Protection Association reports between 2014 and 2018, 44-percent of home-heating fires were caused by space heaters.
“It’s been tested to some standard. You don’t plug them into extension cords or power strips,” said Cook. “They’re designed, and the cord is sized to carry electricity plugged directly into a wall outlet. Do they have guards that keep the heating element protected?”
Fires caused by space heaters are also especially deadly, accounting for 81-percent of deaths in home-heating fires.
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