Following Fire, Troy Fire Chief Urges Caution When Cooking Outside
(Troy Fire Department, May 12, 2017)
Troy, MI – On Wednesday May 10, 2017 at 9:51 pm (2151 Hours) the Troy Fire Dept. responded to a call on Hannah.
The Troy Fire Department responded to this address for a report of a deck on fire at the rear of this home. Firefighters arrived and reported a fire, which was on the deck, was now out. The fire had progressed to the back of the small, one-story residence. The fire had been extinguished by the occupant with a garden hose prior to the fire department’s arrival. But, significant overhaul was still needed.
As the fire progressed from the deck to the back of the house, it had caused a window to fail, and damaged the vinyl siding on the home. Occupants were inside the home and were alerted to the fire when they heard the window breaking from the burning material. Smoke alarms were activated. All occupants exited the home safely.
Firefighters checked for extension to make sure the fire had not progressed into the attic space, or beyond the back of the home. Ventilation was also initiated to remove smoke from the home.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. But the initial investigation indicates that this may be an accidental fire. Occupants were allowed to return to the home. There were no injuries or fatalities reported with this incident. Damage estimates are incomplete at this time.
The Troy Fire Department recommends, that with the warm weather approaching, residents remember the following steps for fire safety:
– When cooking on your deck, do not leave the grille unattended. Keep the grille at least 10 feet away from combustible construction
– Make sure all flames are extinguished and no hot coals are left unattended
– Provide proper receptacles for smoking materials. Empty them into metal containers with lids
– Have extinguishing media present when doing any type of burning (ie: Cooking, ground fires, smoking, etc). Extinguishing media includes, fire extinguishers, garden hoses, sand, or dirt.