Preventable Fire Stories

A local woman’s home was badly damaged by a recent fire, according to Lafayette County Volunteer Fire Department reports.

The LCVFD was dispatched to a fire at the home of Irene Hunter, at 368 SE Lakeshore Blvd. on Picket Lake last month. When units from LCVFD and Mayo Volunteer Fire Department arrived, the second story of the house appeared to be fully involved, reports indicate.

Firefighters from the Lafayette County and Mayo departments made entry at the east end of the home and were able to bring the fire under control in a matter of minutes. The homeowner told investigators “that she had left an electric skillet full of frying oil turned on while visiting with a neighbor downstairs,” according to reports. She was alerted to the fire and reportedly tried to smother it but failed and called for help.

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KUNA - A good Samaritan saved several horses from a burning barn over the weekend.

Idaho firefighters couldn’t save the barn from burning.

Jon Tillian, Kuna assistant fire chief, says it might have been sparked by an oat cooker. Whatever it was, the barn caught quickly.

A passerby saw what was happening, went inside and freed several horses. One wouldn’t come out and died in the fire, officials say.

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I don’t think there’s any product called an “oat cooker”.   Maybe it’s a rice cooker they’re using for oats.   I say if you’re going to use heat-generating electrical appliances in a barn, you can hang my power strip above the appliance in case anything goes wrong.  I invented this product for use in barns — but of course there is all sorts of good guidance saying don’t leave things plugged in in barns anyway.

Lawsuit filed over fire deaths

Nov 10 2007 10:58AM
Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) A Japanese company is being sued for the 2004 deaths of three Sioux Falls children who died in a fire.

Investigators believe the blaze was caused by a rice cooker that had an electrical short circuit.

Killed in the blaze were 8-year-old Pearl Wang and her cousins 5-year-old Michelle Huynh and 8-year-old Jimmy Hua.

The lawsuit names Osaka, Japan-based Tiger Corporation which manufactured the rice cooker.
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FIRE crews attended a property fire in Fore Street in Ilfracombe last night (Monday) following reports of a blaze in a third floor flat.

At about 8.56pm crews arrived to find the flat on fire and heavily smoke-logged due to an unattended electric cooker.

The crews extinguished the fire using one hose reel jet and four breathing apparatus.

The kitchen was ventilated the property and the cooker mains isolated.

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