In a 26-hour period, three separate house fires claimed three lives in Louisiana. State Fire Marshal’s Office spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue said it’s tragic especially because they could have been prevented. The fires happened in New Orleans, Leesville, and Ruston.
“We just really need everyone to understand that this is something that can happen to you and your family, and it takes very little effort to just take a look around your home, make sure that you don’t have any fire hazards,” said Rodrigue.
Sunday night a 73-year-old woman was unable to escape her home in the Gentilly neighborhood, they believe she was using canned sources of heat because the home had been without utilities for years.
Monday afternoon an 83-year-old woman died in her Leesville home and the smoke detector was not working. And Monday evening in Ruston a disabled man in his 40s died. All fatalities are under investigation.
Rodrigue said it’s vital to have a working smoke detector, especially with the hard freeze in the forecast.
“We have three losses of life within 26 hours and that is very scary especially since we do not have those strong cold temperatures on us yet,” said Rodrigue.
And it’s not just those who are using extra sources of heat right that need to check for fire hazards. Rodrigue said you need to be mindful of the role holiday decorations can play also.
“One of our cases seems to possibly have involved having some holiday decorations either overheating with extension cords or having too many plugged into an outlet,” said Rodrigue.
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