MEC&F Expert Engineers : ELDERLY WOMAN USING OXYGEN TANK LIGHTS CIGARETTE, SPARKS EXPLOSIVE ALTADENA HOUSE FIRE THAT KILLS HER AND HER WHEEL-CHAIR BOUND SON. 2 INJURED.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

ELDERLY WOMAN USING OXYGEN TANK LIGHTS CIGARETTE, SPARKS EXPLOSIVE ALTADENA HOUSE FIRE THAT KILLS HER AND HER WHEEL-CHAIR BOUND SON. 2 INJURED.











MARCH 8, 2015

ALTADENA, CALIF. (KABC

Two people were killed and two others injured after an Altadena home caught fire Saturday night. 

At 10:17 p.m., Los Angeles County firefighters responded to a call regarding a house fire in the 2400 block of Holliston Avenue. 


Firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames. A 58-year-old man and his mother, 86, were killed in the fire. The son was in a wheelchair and the mother was bedridden. Both were unable to escape, according to authorities.
Neighbors said they heard an explosion at the home. 


"Initially, I thought it was an earthquake. That's how violent the explosion was, and I had a two story house that is several feet away and it just shook violently," Philip Marin said. 


Authorities believe the elderly woman, who uses an oxygen tank, was smoking a cigarette, which appeared to be the cause of the fire. 


The fire was knocked down shortly after 10:30 p.m. 


Two other people who lived in the home were injured in the fire and were taken to a nearby hospital. Their condition is unknown. 


Neighbors said the man and his mother lived in the home for more than 30 years.



Fire officials said the mother was using an oxygen mask and smoking at the same time, which appeared to be the cause of the fire.  Oxygen enrichment of the air considerably increases the risk of fire.  Sparks (such as from a cigarette) which would normally be regarded harmless can cause fires. 

 In oxygen-enriched air, or where oxygen enrichment can occur, smoking must be strictly forbidden.  This gentleman did not do that and paid with her life, along with her wheel-chair bound son.  Sad, really sad. The investigation is ongoing.





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A woman and her adult son were found dead in a single-family home ravaged by a fire in Los Angeles County late Saturday night, officials said. 

A huge explosion rocked homes in the neighborhood and flames engulfed the home in the 2400 block of North Holliston Avenue soon after 10 p.m. Saturday night, according to neighbors. 

"I have a two-story house and it shook violently, like it was an earthquake," said Mark Rich, who lives a block over. "I just hope they didn't suffer."

The fire was reported just after 10:15 p.m. Saturday in the 2400 block of North Holliston Avenue in Altadena, LA County Fire Department Supervisor Kyle Sandford said. 

Firefighters arrived to find a single-story, single-family home consumed in flames, Sandford said. It took firefighters roughly 30 minutes to put the fire out, Sandford said.

After the fire was out, firefighters searched the home and located the two victims, who were later pronounced dead at the scene, according to Sandford.
Three other people survived the fire; two were hurt, Sandford said.

An LA County Sheriff's Department spokesman said the victims were a man in his late 50s and his mother, in her late 70s to mid 80s. They were Robert Kopp and Betty Kopp, according to public records confirmed by neighbors.

Rich said he knew the family for years -- they all lived in the same neighborhood.

"It was just devastating. Altadena's this nice little sleepy community, we don't have loud explosions and things like this happen very often," he said.
There were no immediate signs of foul play, deputies said.

LA County Fire Department investigators were on scene to determine what caused the fire, Sandford said.


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DANGERS OF HOME OXYGEN USE


Home oxygen is prescribed to patients who have difficulty inhaling sufficient oxygen through their lungs. Sea-level atmospheric air contains about 21 percent oxygen, whereas home oxygen delivery systems usually administer almost 100 percent oxygen, greatly increasing the amount of oxygen absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs. Home oxygen systems typically come in three different forms: liquid oxygen, compressed oxygen and oxygen concentrators. Home oxygen systems can be very beneficial for people with breathing difficulties; however, care should always be taken when using a home oxygen system, because they do present some dangers.

Increased Fire Risk
Contrary to popular belief, oxygen itself is not flammable. Instead, an oxygen-rich environment causes everything within it to burn faster and hotter. Oxygen can even make some materials burn that are not normally flammable. For example, Nomex, which is the material used to make the fireproof clothing firefighters wear, can be lit on fire in an oxygen-rich environment, explains the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Petroleum products pose a special hazard in high oxygen environments. Any product containing petroleum, such as some skin lotions, chapsticks or lubricants, may spontaneously self-ignite when brought into oxygen-rich environments.

Smoking Risks
Because of the increased fire danger caused by oxygen, a person using home oxygen should never smoke or be in the same room as a person smoking while the oxygen tank is turned on. The flame from a match or lighter, and even the ember burning at the end of a cigarette, can cause any nearby materials--such as clothing, hair or furniture--to burst into flame. Severe burns on the face have resulted from people smoking while using home oxygen, reports an article published in the October 1998 issue of the British Medical Journal. Similarly, a person using an oxygen canister should stay away from candles and gas appliances, including gas stoves and water heaters.

Rapid Decompression
Compressed oxygen tanks also pose a danger of turning into an airborne projectile due to rapid decompression. The oxygen in compressed tanks is under extremely high pressure. If the valve on top of the tank is damaged and begins to leak, the oxygen will spray out of the tank at rapid velocity, which can cause the tank to "take off like a rocket," warns the United States Fire Administration. Compressed oxygen cylinders should always be placed in a secure position or attached to a carrier to reduce the risk of a tank falling over and damaging the valve. In addition, the oxygen tank should never be carried or dragged while holding on to the valve itself.

Additional Risks
Oxygen masks worn on the face for long periods of time can cause irritation to the face and may rub away the skin, leading to open sores, the British Medical Journal reports. Alternatively, if oxygen is delivered through tubes in the nose, which are known as nasal cannulae, the nasal passages may become very dried out, sometimes leading to cracked skin. Liquid oxygen systems carry the added risk of frostbite. Oxygen can only be stored as a liquid at very low temperatures. As a result, the metal connectors between parts of the oxygen system may also become very cold, and may cause frostbite if they come into contact with skin