Authorities have closed the investigation into a house explosion and fire that killed an elderly Emporia woman on Thursday and another Emporia family is still picking up the pieces after a house fire recently.
“We know that it’s accidental,” Emporia Fire Chief Jack Taylor said.
Geraldine Richard, 1405 Road F, died in the house explosion, which occurred about 12:30 p.m. Thursday in her home, about two miles southwest of Emporia.
Investigators believe that the furnace is the most likely source of ignition for the explosion.
The Shawnee County Coroner's office ruled that Mrs. Richard died of injuries received at the time of the explosion, according to a news release from the Emporia Fire Department.
“The exact cause of the explosion and ignition is ruled ‘undetermined’ at this time,” Taylor said.
The funeral for Richard was held today at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home.
Taylor is getting the word out about how to prevent common fires in the home. According to the National Fire Protection Association, he said, home cooking fires kill hundreds of Americans and injure about 4,000 more each year.
“Three in 10 home fires start in the kitchen,” Taylor said. “Unattended cooking is the largest cause of home cooking fires.”
Taylor said another common cause of house fires is candles.
“We really tell people to not leave candles burning and unattended,” Taylor said.
Taylor added that heat rises and candles should not be left near combustibles or under things that can catch fire. He also said to make sure that burning instructions are followed. If a candle’s directions state not to burn for more than two hours — don’t.
Working smoke detectors also should be in the home, Taylor said. As part of changing the clocks during the end of daylight savings time on Oct. 29, smoke detector batteries should be checked.
With cooler weather come more problems with furnaces and heating devices that are being turned on for the first time for the season, Taylor said.
“It’s a good idea to have (furnaces) checked annually,” Taylor said.
Fireplaces and chimneys also should be checked annually. Floor furnaces need to be uncovered and portable heaters need to have a clearance between them and combustibles. If an extension cord needs to be used with a portable heater, it should be a heavy-duty cord.
When the temperatures turn colder, calls to the fire department go up, Taylor said.
“We typically see a considerable number of calls related to smoke and unusual odor,” he said. “Any lint build up will burn off and leave an odor in the house.”
If in doubt about an odor, Taylor said, call the fire department.
“We’d much rather come out (early) instead of later in an emergency call,” he said.
WRZ (anonymous) says...
One surprising source of fires are the combination
of lighted candles and cats. Cats that climb
furniture should never be left alone in a room
with lighted candles.
http://news.google.com/
If you google news on: candle fire
there are currently 2 recent stories that were attributed
to this cause and someone local to me burned her
apartment down 3 months ago in this manner but
she never admitted to reporters her cat was
the real cause.
Think about this during the holiday season
Bill Zardus
WRZ
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dogpark...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Canine-... <-- Doggy Fundraising events
The group above is active primarily in Aug & Sep when
seasonal pools are closing and these events are occuring.
October 17, 2006 at 9:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )