Rash of house fires prompts chief to issue reminders

A Baker City couple and their two chihuahuas were displaced by a fire that started when an electrical cord overheated Monday night at their home at 2523 Valley Ave.

Baker City firefighters were dispatched to Tim and Carol Roberts’ house at 8:12 p.m., said Fire Chief Jim Price.

Fifteen firefighters spent one hour and 40 minutes extinguishing the blaze, Price said. No one was injured.

Price said the fire started when an electrical cord that powered a fan motor in a natural gas fireplace insert became crimped, causing it to overheat. The fire traveled to the wall and up into the ceiling and attic of the house, Price said.

The home is valued at $97,800, according to the Baker County Assessor’s Office. The damage was estimated at $15,000, Price said.

The Red Cross responded to provide food, clothing and lodging for the Robertses until the damages can be repaired, Carmel Johnson, a volunteer with the agency’s Public Affairs Team, wrote in an email to the Baker City Herald.

The house fire was the fourth this month and the second blamed on faulty wiring. Virginia Carter died of smoke inhalation Nov. 12 when an extension cord placed under carpeting overheated and destroyed her house at 2336 Auburn Ave. 

Joe Street was injured in a fire started by a heater that destroyed his home on Spring Creek Loop on Nov. 4. Street has returned home from the Oregon Burn Center in Portland where he was treated for burns to his legs and arms. An account to help defray medical expenses has been established at Old West Credit Union at 2036 Broadway St.

Firefighters also were called to a fire at James and Debra DeMastus’ home at 2895 17th St. on Nov. 9 and a fire at Tim Dalke’s home at 1758 Church St. on Nov. 10.

A Pleasant Valley woman was injured in a fire that did not require fire department response. Heather Hunt remains at the Oregon Burn Center where she is being treated for burns sustained when her Halloween costume caught fire on Oct. 31 while she was working over a stove to complete a taxidermy project.

An account to help pay for Hunt’s medical expenses also has been established at Old West Credit Union.

“This has been a pretty exceptional rash of fires,” Price said Tuesday.

He urged community members to inspect their electrical appliances regularly and to replace worn cords to keep their homes safe.

“It’s a good habit to get into,” Price said.

That’s especially important during the holiday season when the Christmas ornaments start coming out of boxes and extension cords that have been used for years are pressed back into service, he said.

“Inspect the cords and if they are not in good shape replace them,” he said. “Be careful, inspect everything.”

Price also advised using the proper extension cord to power appliances and not to place them under rugs or any object that will put pressure on them and cause them to become frayed and overheat.

Flues also should be inspected and cleaned annually and stoves and furnaces should be inspected according to the manufacturers’ instructions, he added.

“Be fire safe would be my advice,” Price said.

And if your home does catch fire, get out and go to a neighbor’s house to call 9-1-1, he advised, making sure dispatch understands whether everyone is out of the house.

“The primary concern is getting out,” Price said. “It doesn’t take much to become overcome with smoke. It will sneak up on you.”

Schoolchildren work to develop a family escape plan each year during Fire Prevention Week and that’s something that everyone should do, Price says.

The plan incudes a predesignated area for all family members to meet at should their home catch fire.

“Get out, go to a predesignated area, knock on the neighbor’s door and call 9-1-1,” Price said. “Don’t try to put the fire out. Everything you have can be replaced except you.”