The City of Natchitoches Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 227 Powell Street. Units from Central Fire Station and Station 3 responded to the scene. Upon arrival fire department personnel found a structure more than 50% involved with fire with all persons reported out of the structure. Firefighters began extinguishing the fire while conducting a search to confirm no other occupants remained in the structure. The fire was extinguished and fire personnel began to investigate the cause of the fire. At this time the cause is still under investigation. There were three family pets confirmed lost in the fire.
Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths. Fire departments responded to an estimated average of 40,997 fires involving heating equipment per year from 2018-2022, accounting for 12% of all reported home fires during this time, and these fires resulted in annual losses of 470 civilian deaths. Remember these simple safety tips and precautions to help prevent most heating fires from happening:
• Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet (one meter) away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot (one meter) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month
