Rash of fires prompt safety message

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - There have been six house or apartment fires since Friday and at least half were caused by people trying to heat their homes. That prompted Albuquerque Fire Department to remind people about safety as the temperatures drop.

The rash of house fires started last Friday at a home in the Ridgecrest area in southeast Albuquerque. Investigators say spare wood too close to a wood burning stove was the cause.

AFD Fire Marshall Curtis Green recommends keeping other combustible materials at least three foot away from all heating devices.

Sunday morning a fire on Solano Drive SE was also caused by a wood stove. The elderly woman living there had a tough time getting out for two reasons. There were a lot of personal items in the way of the front door and when she went to the back door, it had two keyed locks and no key. The woman got out, but the Red Cross recommends every individual and family have a planned and practiced escape routes. 

There should be at least two escape routes for each family member and a meeting place away from the home. That plan should be practiced at least two times a year and at different times of the day.

A fire in northeast Albuquerque on Sunday morning was caused by a gas floor heater according to AFD. In this case, no one was home and fire crews put the fire out quickly, but this fire gave a lesson about floor heaters. Don't leave them on at night or when you leave home and make sure they have a tip damper that will turn off the heater if it falls over.

The biggest factor in saving lives and property in fires is the smoke detector.  AFD says smoke detectors increase your chances of surviving a house fire by at least 50 percent.

There should be smoke detectors on every level of the house, in front of every bedroom and in each bedroom as well. 

Batteries should be changed twice a year and  experts recommend the time change in the spring and fall is an easy way to remember.  Just so happens we turn the clocks forward this Sunday.