Holiday Season Brings Increase In Household Fires

Grace Palo

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Late Tuesday evening, a home was ravaged by fire that took 75 firefighters on scene to get control of and eventually put out.

The fire burned extensively, after starting in the garage, and spread throughout the entirety of the home. It caused an estimated $600,000 in damages. The fire was so hot and so large that it also caused collateral damage to the neighbor’s home but was kept under control.

MCFRS Media Hotline was Updated 240.777-2442 (1045p 12/20) 1701 Pasture Brook Way, Rville; Cause, misplaced fireplace ashes, >$600k damage pic.twitter.com/eouiK18sqz

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 21, 2016

Fire rescue determined that the fire began as a result of fireplace ashes being placed incorrectly in the garage as a source of disposal. Pete Piringer, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue’s Public Information Officer, told WMAL that “heating and heating issues, such as space heaters or fireplaces, become the number one cause of fires during this time of year.”

Every year, there is a significant number of fires reported as a result of fireplace ashes being disposed of incorrectly. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue released a statement saying, “Firing up the fireplace? Cool your ashes! Every year “cold” ashes result in house fires. Treat all ashes and coals as HOT ashes, even when you think they have had enough time to cool. Your garage, house or deck are unsafe locations for ashes to cool and have been the site of many recent and devastating fires both locally and nationally. Take extreme care when disposing ashes and be sure to dispose of them safely and correctly.”

“Do not discard your ashes into any kind of combustible container,” Piringer told WMAL. “Paper bags, plastic bags, anything like that, plastic trashcan are all combustible. Do place it in a metal container with a tight lid. Also feel free to include water in the container to help keep the ashes cool.”

It likely this eve (~6p) MCFRS FFs will return to Pasture Brook Way, Rockville neighborhood ‘After-the-Fire’ w/ home safety visits & more pic.twitter.com/HFyAechzNZ

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 21, 2016

Other common causes of household fires during this time of year are Christmas trees, holiday lights, extension cords, candles and the number one cause all year round is cooking accidents.