Saw a really sad story in the news this week from Fairfield in California. An apartment fire broke out, that took the lives of four young children in Northern California.
The authorities said that it appeared that the fire was started by a candle. This statement was made on Thursday as they described their frantic rescue efforts.
Investigators determined the cause of Wednesday’s blaze after finding three candles in the home and talking to witnesses and the mothers of the children, Fairfield Assistant Fire Marshal Jerry Clark said.
Investigators also confirmed with Pacific Gas & Electric that power had been turned off to the apartment because the bill had not been paid, Clark said.
The names of the victims have not been released, but it is known that it they were four young children from the same family. The children — three siblings and their cousin, ages 1 to 4 — were inside the apartment unit when the fire broke out around 9:10 p.m.
Neighbors tried their best to help to put out the fire as they scrambled to douse the flames with garden hoses.
Police officers crawled into the burning apartment to try to rescue the four children but were pushed back by heavy smoke and heat.
Three of the children were found dead after the fire was out, and the fourth was taken to hospital, but died later.
Mr Clark said that the mothers of the children were sisters. Both suffered minor smoke inhalation, and one had moderate burns on her hands and forearms.
“It’s the most terrible thing that can happen to a family,” Elmer Martinez, 28, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “They’re kids just starting their lives. It’s just a big tragedy.”
Smoke is a big factor in fires, whether these occur at home or in the workplace. The firefighters had difficulties fighting the fire because of the heavy smoke, and it can also impede the escape of anyone inside the building. For offices, intumescent strips on the doors can stop the spread of smoke, allowing people to exit the building as quickly as possible, and also helping the firefighters to get close enough to tackle the blaze.
Another of the lessons to be learnt from this tragic situation is to be careful when using candles in the home. Candles should never be left unattended, and you should be really careful when there are children around naked flames such as candles. It is so easy for the candles to get too close to a curtain and set it on fire.
So, be careful! Make sure you keep an eye on candles in the home, and hopefully scenarios such as this one will be few and far between.
