MONROE — A 76-year-old man has died after his clothes were set ablaze by a propane heater, officials said Tuesday.
The man’s clothes caught fire Friday after he reportedly backed his wheelchair into an open-flame propane heater, Monroe Fire Department spokeswoman Richelle Risdon said. Firefighters were called to his home in the 1900 block of 144th Place SE.
Family members extinguished the flames, but the man suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. Medics drove him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died from his injuries hours later.
Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fire deaths in the country, Risdon said. Almost half of home heating fires are reported during the winter.
It’s important to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from heating equipment and turn portable heaters off when leaving the home or going to bed, she said.
If your clothing catches fire, don’t run, which will increase the intensity of the fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands. Roll over or back and forth until the fire is out.
Between 2003 and 2007, the nation’s emergency rooms treated an average of nearly 29,000 people a year for burns that resulted from contact with fire, according to National Fire Protection Association data.
Just a week ago, an 84-year-old Edmonds woman suffered serious burns when her clothing caught fire from a stove.
The woman’s neighbor heard a smoke alarm go off, quickly extinguished the flames and called for help. Medics rushed the woman to the hospital with burns covering more than 30 percent of her body. She was in critical condition later that day, Edmonds Fire Department Battalion Chief Don White said. The woman’s condition was unknown Tuesday.
A towel hanging above the stove may have been a factor, White said. He urged people to keep everything that can burn away from the stove while cooking.
Even a small fire in your home can turn tragic, White said. It’s important that people correctly assess their ability to deal with a small fire.
“The best solution may be to call for help,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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