Now’s the time to check homes for fire hazards

EVERETT — A neighbor saw smoke rising from the roof of a duplex next door. No cars were in the driveway, but a child slept behind a closed door upstairs.

There were no flames, just a pan smoking on an unlit stove. Deactivated smoke detectors sat on the banister of the stairs.

“If it had been truly a fire … we could have had a tragedy,” Snohomish Fire Chief Ron Simmons said.

Cooking is the most common cause of house fires, according to the Snohomish County fire marshal’s website. Heating equipment is the second.

Every fall, Simmons sees an uptick in house fires as folks turn on their heaters and begin using their fireplaces.

He encourages property owners and renters to take a good look at their homes.

Chimneys and wall heaters likely need cleaning after months of disuse, he said. They also need to be clear from any clutter, obstructions or furniture.

The same goes for portable heaters.

Heather Chadwick, a spokeswoman for Snohomish County Fire District 7 based in Clearview, recommends portable heaters that automatically turn off if the device tips over.

Simmons and Chadwick said the best safety measure people can take is to routinely test their smoke detectors and replace the batteries. Experts recommend that step when daylight saving time changes.

About half of fire deaths occur in homes that don’t have smoke detectors, according to the fire marshal’s website.

Simmons has seen people remove the batteries from smoke detectors to avoid accidentally triggering the alarm while cooking or smoking.

Fire District 7 crews carry extra smoke detectors while responding to calls. If they see a smoke detector that hasn’t been changed in the past 10 years, they will switch it out.

Washington law requires that landlords provide working fire detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. However, some tenants might be deterred from testing alarms in apartment complexes.

“… The way it’s supposed to work is all the detectors in one unit go off,” Simmons said. “If someone checks the battery, neighbors could think it’s a real fire and call 911.”

Fire District 4 in Snohomish plans to visit each apartment complex in its service area as part of a campaign in honor of Fire Prevention Week Oct. 9 through 15. Fire District 7 also has scheduled two open houses, in Clearview and Monroe, for the same week.

Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.

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