Local Red Cross and fire officials remind people to check smoke alarms, as fire risks rise with cooler weather
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
With Daylight Saving ending on Sunday, the American Red Cross and Fire officials are encouraging people to take the time change as a reminder to check their smoke alarms and ensure they’re working properly.
The City of Columbia reported over 50 residential fires, with 267 incidents tied to smoke alarms and 295 fire alarm concerns from the time period of Nov. 5, 2023 to March 9, 2024.
As temperatures drop, more people rely on heating sources to stay warm, increasing the risk of fires.
Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp said that flue fires become more common during the colder months.
"We do have flu fires, obviously, because in the summertime we're not burning fireplaces and wood stoves. So, we do see an increase in flue fires," Blomenkamp said.
With the holiday season approaching, Blomenkamp also noted that cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires, especially as families prepare festive meals.
"Cooking fires are still the number one cause. And so yeah, you have that holiday cooking. You have a lot of distractions when people are home in those holiday seasons and so I think the chance or the opportunity for a structure fire may be higher," Blomenkamp said. "I don't know that the numbers actually dictate or would reflect that."
The U.S. Fire Administration warns that fires can spread rapidly, filling a home with thick black smoke within minutes. Experts recommend having a two-minute escape plan and practicing it regularly.
"If you have a family, you should practice your escape plan. Don't do it on a Sunday morning at 2 a.m. in the morning when your house is on fire. That's not the first time you should try this. Have an escape plan," Blomenkamp said.
"You should have two ways out of every sleeping room. So door down the hallway, out the front door of the house or through a window, if you're on the second floor of the home, you must have some sort of fire escape ladder that you can put your window that hooks on to the windowsill and you can climb down again."
Since July 1, local Red Cross volunteers have responded to nearly 400 home fires across Missouri, assisting close to 1,500 residents affected by these incidents, according to a press release.
In a statement via the release, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Central and Northern Missouri Rebecca Gordon noted that working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a house fire in half.
“Every second counts when there’s a home fire. The sooner an alarm alerts you, the sooner you can get to safety," the statement read.s
