Covington, Washington – House Fire at Southeast 262nd Place

Covington, Washington (February 21, 2020) – A fire broke out in a home on the 18200 block of Southeast 262nd Place on Friday morning. According to the article from the Covington Reporter, the resident that was home at the time of the incident was warned by neighbors and able to safely evacuate. No injuries were reported in the incident. The residents were reported to have received assistance from the Red Cross.

According to the report, units from Puget Sound Fire were dispatched to the scene just after 11:30 a.m. The fire had been reported by people and neighbors who were passing by. Multiple calls on the scene upgraded the fire and engines from Covington, Kent and Maple Valley also responded. The fire is under investigation and the cause and extent of the damage has not yet been determined.

About Fire

Fortunately this incident did not result in any injuries.  The dangers of fire cannot be underestimated – the US Fire Administration reported that 41 home fire fatalities were reported 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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