The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office has investigated four fatal fires in the northeast part of the state in the past three days, and the state could be on a course to surpass last year’s numbers.
The office investigated a fatal fire in Shawnee County on Friday, one in Jackson County on Sunday, and two in Pottawatomie County over the weekend. The fires were unrelated and they were a mix of accidents, arson and homicides.
The office has investigated 90 fires so far this year, with 13 of them being fatal. Last year at this time, the office had investigated 43 fires, and there were 20 fatal fires for all of 2021.
The investigations chief or the Fire Marshal’s Office, Wally Roberts, said many of the fires are accidental and can be prevented through safety measures. Space heaters are most often involved in home heating equipment fires, accounting for more than two of every five fires, as well as the vast majority of deaths and injuries in home fires caused by heating equipment.
The office is recommending fire safety tips for the remainder of the winter months:
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from any source like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters.
- Plug one heat-producing appliance (i.e. space heater) into an electrical outlet at a time.
- Never use an extension cord for a space heater.
- Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep it outside at least 10 feet from your home and any nearby buildings.
- Keep portable generators outside, away from windows, and as far away from your home as possible.
- Install and test carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month.
- Make sure to have working smoke alarms on every level of your home.
