MEC&F Expert Engineers : Chemical in van possible cause of house fire in Bowling Green, Kentucky

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Chemical in van possible cause of house fire in Bowling Green, Kentucky






Chemicals in a construction crew’s van might have ignited a fire that spread to a South Ford Road house where the crew was working, causing heavy damage to the house.
The county’s nine volunteer fire departments and the Bowling Green Fire Department responded to the blaze. “The heat was so bad that manpower was a big issue all day,” said Chief Brad Harper of the Alvaton Volunteer Fire Department.
Harper’s agency was the first to respond to the blaze about 12:45 p.m.
A preliminary investigation indicated the fire started when some chemicals in the construction crew’s van ignited, Harper said. The van was parked just outside the garage in the back of the house.
The three-person work crew was refinishing wood floors in the house when the fire started in the van, Harper said.
The crew members made it outside safely. The home’s residents weren’t there when the fire started.
Alvaton firefighters fought the fire from inside for a short time until conditions made it too dangerous for anyone to remain inside the house.
Flames shot through holes in the roof of the house, with thick smoke creating a haze over much of the Ewing Ford Place neighborhood.

Several onlookers watched as firefighters set up on all sides of the house, pumping water at the flames coming from the roof. A number of people brought bottled water for the firefighters.
A portion of the roof over the garage collapsed during the fire. Damage was concentrated on the second floor and attic, while much of the first floor had water and smoke damage, Harper said.
The summer heat challenged the firefighters physically, and the structure of the roof presented another challenge when it came to opening the roof to allow the firefighters to battle the blaze from outside.
“The different pitches of the roof made it more difficult for us,” Harper said. “Whenever the houses are cut up like that, it’s just harder for us to ventilate.”

Source:http://www.bgdailynews.com