OVERLOADED ELECTRIC CORD MAY HAVE CAUSED A 2-alarm fatal FIRE IN bROOKLYN, NY
We have recently posted a warning against the use of electric
extension cords for major appliances.
Here is the blog link:
DO NOT USE AN
EXTENSION CORD OR POWER STRIP WITH AN ELECTRIC SPACE HEATER. IT CAN OVERLOAD THE CIRCUIT AND CAUSE FIRE.
An electric space heater’s power cord is not intended to be
used with an extension cord. If you are
unable to plug the unit directly into a socket and have to use an extension
cord, consider using a heavy-duty cord marked with a #14 gauge or larger wire
(#12 gauge is larger than #14 gauge). An
incorrectly sized cord could create a fire hazard. If the heater’s plug has a
grounding prong, use only a grounding (three-wire) extension cord.
Unfortunately, a man died in a fire yesterday that may have
been caused by connecting a refrigerator and an oil lamp to an extension
cord. If that cord was not properly
sized for the load, then it could have overheated and caused the deadly
fire. Here is the story.
Rob Nelson reports on the aftermath of the blaze in
Flatbush, and the residents who escaped.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
FLATBUSH (WABC) --
A two-alarm fire that killed one person in a building on the
1400 block of Flatbush Avenue above a commercial strip in Brooklyn appears to
have been caused by an extension cord.
The cord was being used for a refrigerator and an oil lamp inside an apartment. A 24-year-old man who died in the fire lives in the building.
Including the victim who died, reportedly a 24-year-old man, 17 people were taken to various area hospitals. The man died at New York Community Hospital where he was being treated for smoke inhalation. Of the remaining individuals, two are in critical condition, and 14 are stable.
A FDNY spokeswoman said the fire broke out at 12:38 a.m. Wednesday in the three-story single-room occupancy apartment building, leaving nearly 20 people inside trapped, screaming and scrambling as thick smoke billowed from the windows.
"I was seeing the flames and stuff like that and I was hearing noises, people saying 'help me, help me," said nearby resident Katie Barcoo.
The building has a storefront church on the first floor. The blaze was under control by 1:55 a.m.
The cord was being used for a refrigerator and an oil lamp inside an apartment. A 24-year-old man who died in the fire lives in the building.
Including the victim who died, reportedly a 24-year-old man, 17 people were taken to various area hospitals. The man died at New York Community Hospital where he was being treated for smoke inhalation. Of the remaining individuals, two are in critical condition, and 14 are stable.
A FDNY spokeswoman said the fire broke out at 12:38 a.m. Wednesday in the three-story single-room occupancy apartment building, leaving nearly 20 people inside trapped, screaming and scrambling as thick smoke billowed from the windows.
"I was seeing the flames and stuff like that and I was hearing noises, people saying 'help me, help me," said nearby resident Katie Barcoo.
The building has a storefront church on the first floor. The blaze was under control by 1:55 a.m.
Officials said the fire originated on the second floor and swept through the third floor. Everything in the building, the first floor church and the second and third floor apartments, are a total loss.
Many families are now leaning on the Red Cross for temporary shelter, left homeless right in the middle of this week's brutal cold snap.
The victim's identity has not yet been released.
The building received a Buildings Department violation for an illegal subdivision in September.
The violation was issued against the building's owner, Luckner Lorient, because extra partitions were added in the cellar. The complaint was resolved.
There is now a full vacate order issued to the building because of the fire.
