MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015
OMAHA, NEBRASKA
A person was seriously injured late Sunday when gasoline
that was being used against bed bugs ignited and exploded inside an Omaha home.
Omaha firefighters said two other occupants of the home
escaped injury after the blast at 3928 M St. about 9 p.m.
After putting out the fire in the basement, crews learned
that the injured person was attempting to kill bed bugs using gasoline.
Fire officials said gasoline vapors were probably ignited by
a water heater’s pilot light, causing the explosion and fire.
Investigators said structural components of the home
sustained heavy damage due to pressure from the blast.
A number of people, following dangerous, misleading advice
had wiped gasoline on their own arms and their children’s arms to stop the
bedbugs from biting. It is possible that
this is what happened to these cornhuskers.
We do not believe that Warren Buffet is related to these
bright individuals.
Don’t use gasoline products to treat bed bugs
The New York City Fire Department is again warning residents
not to attempt to treat bed bugs with gasoline products.
Queens fire officials last month issued a warning to borough
residents to steer clear of gasoline or gasoline products to fight bedbug
infestation at home.
FDNY officials said residents in Astoria have called 911 to
report a gasoline odor coming from adjacent apartments in their buildings.
Firefighters responding to the calls discovered several
incidents where residents poured gasoline on mattresses to kill bedbugs.
Allegedly a number of people, following dangerous,
misleading advice had wiped gasoline on their own arms and their children’s
arms to stop the bedbugs from biting, officials said.
Such incidents involving the use of extremely flammable
gasoline prompted FDNY officials to issue the warning about fatal consequences
that could result from the misguided use of gasoline to battle bedbugs. ‘This
is not the first time we have issued this warning,’ a fire spokesperson said.
‘We warn people over and over, just how dangerous it is to use gasoline or
gasoline-based products in the home, but they don’t listen.’
//----------------//
Don’t use kerosene to kill bed bugs; be cautious with
alcohol
A tenant in Augusta, Georgia was horrified to find that
after her building’s maintenance department treated her home for bed bugs, it
smelled like kerosene.
She was right to be concerned, since applying kerosene is a
dangerous and inappropriate method for treating bed bugs.
“They came in to
spray for bed bugs, to exterminate for bed bugs, and this was almost going on
two weeks, and the fumes from the machine got all over the apartment,” said tenant Sonji Brantley.
She said maintenance at Fox Den Apartment off Wrightsboro
Road used a chemical that smells like kerosene to treat her carpet for the
pests. We arrived to find a pile of carpet sitting outside.
“If you smell it, you can smell the chemicals in it,” said
Brantley. Workers were inside putting down new carpet.
What’s with spraying the carpet?
As an aside, I’m not sure about the amount of attention given to the carpets here, since the pros on our forums don’t seem to talk much about treating carpets. The focus seems to be more on treating cracks and crevices.
As an aside, I’m not sure about the amount of attention given to the carpets here, since the pros on our forums don’t seem to talk much about treating carpets. The focus seems to be more on treating cracks and crevices.
Then again, if the maintenance crew were applying kerosene
to kill bed bugs, then it’s likely they don’t know a whole lot about this pest
or how to get rid of it.
Thinking of using kerosene or gasoline? Don’t do it!
Kerosene is highly flammable and not a suitable method of
bed bug treatment.
If your landlord uses a method like this, I recommend calling
the local health and building departments to file a complaint.