Health & Fitness
Stamford fire reminds us to be careful with ashes
A tragic Christmas morning fire last year in Stamford claimed the lives of three young girls and their two grandparents. The cause was ashes from the fireplace.
As we grieve for the 26 souls lost in Newtown, we also remember three young children and their two grandparents who tragically died last Christmas in Stamford.
The fast-moving fire claimed the lives of Lily Bagder, 9, and twins Sarah and Grace Badger, both 7, along with their grandparents Pauline and Lomer Johnson. Firefighters found the bodies of the three girls and their grandmother inside the home. Lomer Johnson's body was found on the porch roof, where investigators believe he was leading one of his granddaughters toward a window to escape.
The cause of the fire was ashes from the fireplace. The fire was long out, the ashes were thought to be cold, so they were shoveled into a paper shopping bag and placed inside a plastic storage box. As we now know, the ashes flared up – first as white wisps of smoke, then fire. The house, in the middle of construction, had a new fire-detection-and-security system, but it wasn't yet powered.
Hot embers or ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves count for 11,600 residential building fires in the U.S. each year, according to federal safety officials. Careful handling of the ashes and embers can help prevent a catastrophic fire in your house.
"The embers in the ashes may remain hot enough to start a fire for up to 24 hours after the fire is thought to be out," said Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. 2nd Assistant Chief Bob Norton. "Tiny embers may still be smoldering deep beneath the surface."
It happened here in town just two days after the Stamford fire. Early in the morning on Dec. 27, the Fire Company was dispatched to an electrical fire related to improper disposal of wood stove ashes.
The homeowner had dumped ashes from a wood stove at the base of a telephone pole to fill in a trench on top of the PVC conduit that protected the power wires. The embers caught the PVC on fire, shorting out electrical service to the house. The fire following the conduit towards the house was stopped only when CL&P cut the power.
When removing ashes from a fireplace or wood stove, use only tools made specifically to handle that kind of heat. Remember that when exposed to air, even the tiniest embers get the all oxygen they need to flame up again. If embers come in direct contact with an object that will ignite, such as a plastic bucket or paper bag, it can cause a fire. Even embers placed into a metal container can generate enough heat to ignite wood or other combustible flooring. Use a quality metal container to empty the ashes and get them outside as soon as possible.
Just placing them outside, however, isn't enough. A fire can start just outside the door, on a front porch or deck. The container should be covered and placed on the ground a safe distance from the house. Homeowners can also dump ashes into the ground or garden where there’s no contact with vegetation that can spark a brush fire. If a hose is available, thoroughly wet down the ashes down. If there's snow on the ground, you can put them in the snow and cover them up. Do not put them into the garbage container or deposit them at the transfer station in the garbage compactor.
The Fire Safety Administration says there about 374,900 residential building fires in the U.S. every year. Those fires kill more than 2,600 people and injure another 13,000. Cooking is the leading cause, starting 44 percent of the fires. About 192,700 of yearly residential fires spread beyond the source and 6 percent of those fires are caused by hot embers or ashes.
The Fire Company also asks residents to be mindful of creosote inside chimneys. A roar – people have described the sound as a low-flying airplane – is typically the first indication that the creosote has ignited. If you hear this sound, and it's growing louder, there's a good chance you have a fire raging in your chimney.
Please take chimney and wood stove maintenance, as well as disposing of ashes and embers, seriously. It could save your life.
For more information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved, visit our website www.HaddamFire.com, or look for us on Facebook.
