RAYNHAM — Chief Bryan LaCivita reports that the Raynham Fire Department responded to a bedroom fire earlier today that was extinguished by the homeowner prior to firefighters’ arrival.
On Thursday, Nov. 3 at approximately 10:40 a.m., Raynham Firefighters responded to a home on Pleasant Street for a report of a fire in a bedroom. Upon arrival, firefighters found that the fire had already been extinguished by the homeowner who was alerted to the fire by the home’s working smoke alarms.
The preliminary investigation indicates that a disabled resident of the home was smoking in their bedroom while using oxygen when the fire began. The fire burned the O2 line and mattress. The homeowner, who was alerted to the fire by their smoke alarms, discovered the fire in the bedroom with the disabled resident inside.
The homeowner quickly extinguished the flames and safely removed the other resident from the bedroom before calling 911. The resident was transported by ambulance for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.
There was no damage to the structure of the home as a result of this incident.
The home, which was originally built sometime in the 1950s or 1960s, recently had an in-law addition added to it. With the addition of the in-law, the house was required to be brought up to today’s building standards to include smoke alarms hardwired and interconnected throughout the pre-existing portion of the home and the new addition. The fire activated the smoke alarms which sounded off in the in-law addition, causing the homeowner to investigate.
“The safe and swift resolution to this incident is credited not only to the home’s working smoke alarms, but also to the homeowner who was at home at the time and able to quickly respond,” Chief Lacivita said. “We would like to stress to all community members that smoking and oxygen do not mix and have the potential to be deadly. It is also always important that homes have working smoke alarms and we encourage residents to check them, especially with Daylight Saving Time this weekend, to ensure they are working properly.”
Residents are encouraged to test their smoke alarms at least once a month and replace any if they don’t respond properly when tested. It is also recommended that all alarms are interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.
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