Friday, January 2, 2015

KEEP COMBUSTIBLES AT LEAST 3 FEET AWAY FROM SOURCES OF HEAT: FIRE CONTAINED ON 1112 PLUM STREET IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. THE FIRE MAY HAVE STARTED WITH CARDBOARD THAT WAS TOO CLOSE TO A SPACE HEATER.





keep combustibles at least 3 feet away from sources of heat:  Fire contained on 1112 Plum Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The fire may have started with cardboard that was too close to a space heater.



Lincoln firefighters assist a fellow firefighter out of a basement window on the scene of a fire at 1112 Plum St. on Thursday.


Smoke and flames interrupted a Lincoln family’s celebration of the New Year Thursday evening and one firefighter suffered a minor injury while working the fire.
The Strilkivsky family had gathered upstairs in the white, two-story house at 1112 Plum St. and put some pizza in the oven just before 6:30. There were about eight people there, said Paul Strilkivsky, who along with his sister, Natalya Strilkivsky, had recently bought the house from their father.

They smelled smoke and thought it was just something on the bottom of the oven burning. But the smell got worse. Paul and his brother went to investigate as the rest of the party evacuated.

They found heavy smoke and flames in the basement.
Paul Strilkivsky said that when he got outside moments later flames could be seen coming from basement windows on the west and south sides of the house. The heat melted siding on both sides.

Firefighters arrived at 6:37,attacked the fire from outside of the house and then moved inside. It was declared under control by 6:47 p.m., Battalion Chief Jeanne Pashalek said.
Pashalek said one firefighter may have been shocked by a low-voltage source, such as an extension cord. He was taken to an area hospital and kept overnight for evaluation. His injury was considered minor. His name was not released.

Fire and smoke caused about $25,000 to the home, which was not habitable due to smoke damage, said city Fire Inspector Damon Robbins.
He described the fire as unintentional and said it burned mainly belongings like clothes, paper and cardboard in the southwest corner of the basement. It likely was started with cardboard that was too close to a space heater, he said.

Four of the Strilkivskys lived on the upper floor of the house and were renovating the basement and first floor. Permits for the work were posted. There was no heat or electricity on the lower levels. They had run extension cords to space heaters on those floors to prevent pipes from bursting.

Robbins said he did not see smoke alarms in the house and it was a good thing the fire happened during the day. Had the fire broke out while people slept, he said, there could have been fatalities.
Paul Strilkivsky said they have home insurance.