Tukwila, Washington – South 129th Street Bridge Catches on Fire

Tukwila, Washington (March 24, 2020) – The South 129th Street Bridge caught on fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning. According to the article from KOMO News, there were no reported injuries in the incident. Crews from the Tukwila Fire Department responded to the incident, with firefighters being called to the scene around 5 a.m. Extensive flames were reported to be burning below the bridge, but crews were able to douse the fire and later stayed on the scene to look for hot spots. The incident caused the road to be closed between 50th Place South and Beacon Coal Mine Road in Skyway until the damage is assessed.

About Fire

The dangers of fire should never be underestimated – the US Fire Administration has reported that 41 home fire fatalities occurred in 2018 within Washington. Statistics from the NFPA have recorded that cooking equipment were the leading cause of home structure fires, home fire injuries, as well as being the second leading case of home fire deaths. Additionally, smoking materials are the leading case of home fire deaths, though it isn’t always the case every year. Always handle fire with wariness and see to it that fires are always extinguished after use. Remember also to assess the area where fire is going to be used and see to it that complete fire safety is practiced at all times.

Aside from cooking equipment and smoking materials, electrical causes remain to be one of the top causes for home fires according to the NFPA. Their Electrical Fire Reports to the U.S Fire Department since 2000 estimates around 45,000 to 55,000 cases of home fires being caused by electrical malfunction every year. Annual losses due to electrical fire result in 455 civilian deaths, 1, 500 civilian injuries and 1.5 billion of dollars in direct property damage. From these statistics, the risk from electrical fire is very real and should not be underestimated. As for the accidents themselves, the NFPA lists 63 percent involved wiring and related equipment, 74 percent cited some sort of electrical failure or malfunction, and wire or cable insulation was the first item ignited in 32 percent of electrical distribution or lighting equipment home structure fires. From these cases, one must always review and identify potential fire hazards and fix them to avoid damages, injuries or deaths.

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