PRESS RELEASE FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL JIMMY WILLIAMS
Two Jasper men were severely burned Saturday afternoon while working to repair a vehicle in a building located in the 24000 Block of I-45 near the Harris / Montgomery County Line. The pair was working on the fuel tank of a car when sparks from welding ignited a nearby container of gasoline.
Both men were burned trying to remove the container and control the fire. A 40-year-old male received burns to his upper body, while a 42-year-old male suffered life threatening burns to approximately 75 percent of his body. Both were transported to a Houston Burn Center for treatment.
The preliminary investigation revealed they were attempting to repair a leaking fuel tank and had removed fuel from it, and stored it nearby in the shop. They were reportedly finishing the repairs, when gasoline vapors were ignited by the welding operation. Firefighters from Montgomery County Emergency Services District #8 (South Montgomery County) and Montgomery County EMS responded. The fire was quickly contained with no further damage.
Fires from Alternative Heating
As temperatures drop, our firefighters are responding to more fires involving alternative heat sources such as space heaters and wood burning fireplaces.
Chimney / Wood Burning Heater Fires
To lessen the risk of chimney fires, always use seasoned wood and build smaller hotter fires. Creosote is produced when smoke cools in the chimney or vent pipe, leaving deposits of the highly flammable material on the walls of the chimney. Burning a constant low flaming fire with wet or tightly piled wood leads to excessive creosote buildup and an increased risk of a chimney fire.
Space Heaters need space!
Keep 3 feet around any heater clear of anything that will burn. Make sure your heater is equipped with a “tip-over” switch that shuts the unit off it is knocked over. A space heater is intended for use only as a temporary heat source and should not be left on when you are sleeping.
The #1 thing you can do to protect your family from home heating fires is to have working smoke detectors throughout the home, and have a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of a home equipped with LPG or Natural Gas appliances.
http://www.fireplacesmagazine.com/fireplaces-health/chimney-fire-prevention.html
