An early morning mobile home fire, around 3:15 am this morning, in the
24000 block of Sanders Cemetery road in Magnolia, Texas sent two of
the home’s occupants to Memorial Herman Hospital Burn Center in
Houston. A 42 yr old female resident of the home has been treated and
released; the second 38 yr old male resident is being treated for 2nd and
3rd degree burns. Both were asleep when the fire broke out in the living
room area of the home. The mobile home and all of its contents are a
complete loss. The couple, who just moved in a few weeks ago, did not
have any insurance. There were no working smoke detectors in the
mobile home. The American Red Cross has been notified and will
provide emergency assistance to the two injured occupants.
Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Investigators sifted through the
debris of the burned out home Thursday morning looking for the cause
of this fire. A space heater was located next to a Christmas tree in the l
living room where the fire originated. The occupants told Fire Marshal
Investigators that the fire, when discovered, was concentrated in the
living room, along the rear wall where the space heater and the
Christmas tree were plugged in. This is consistent with what
Investigators found after examining the fire scene. The space heater had
been left on all night in an attempt to heat the mobile home.
With cooler temperatures, Montgomery County firefighters have
already responded to an increased number of home fires, many due to
home heating devices. Home heating fires are second only to cooking
fires, but are more deadly because many occur at night while residents
are sleeping. Portable space heaters are responsible for a disproportionate number of home heating deaths each year, totaling approximately 45% of the deaths each year.
Now is the time to make sure your home has working smoke detectors.
If you rent a home, mobile home or apartment, your landlord is required
by State Law to provide working smoke detectors when you move in.
For more information go to our website www.mctx.org/fire or find us on
facebook; http://www.facebook.com/MCFMO
Recommendations:
1. Portable space heaters should always be kept at least three feet away
from anything that will burn.
2. Portable space heaters should be unplugged or extinguished when
left unattended and should never be left on overnight.
3. Always plug a space heater directly into the wall, never into an
extension cord or power strip with other electrical devices.
4. All space heaters should be equipped with a safety switch that will
shut the heater off it is tipped over
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