Spanaway, Washington – One Injured in House Fire, Six People Displaced

Spanaway, Washington (April 16, 2019) – A fire severely damaged a house at 20100 block of 75th Avenue Court East and injured one resident in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The injured person suffered smoke inhalation and minor burns from the fire, and she was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. The injured person also allegedly set the fire and barricaded herself in her room, later jumping out of the bedroom onto a pickup truck parked below.

Firefighters were called to the area at 1:25 a.m., and found the house engulfed in flames. One of the rooms contained loose, burning ammunition, which made the attack much more difficult. Firefighters avoided the room and no one was injured among the crews. After dousing the flames, the suspect told firefighters about pouring rubbing alcohol on the floor and setting it on fire. Several of the woman’s roommates later stated that the suspect had been acting bizarre for the last few days. The fire displaced all six residents of the house.

About Fire

While the circumstances of this particular case are unusual, it should be noted that the dangers of fire cannot be underestimated. The US Fire Administration has recorded 15 home fire fatalities this year 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.

[cta]