2 escape from fire that damages home
Published on January 24th, 2008 - Noah Haglund of the Post and Courier

The Post and Courier Two men escaped Wednesday morning from a blaze at a Chicora-Cherokee home that fire officials attributed to one of the most common causes of house fires: combustibles placed too close to a space heater.

"The rule of thumb for that is a yardstick. You try to keep combustibles at least three feet away from a space heater," North Charleston Battalion Chief Greg Bulanow said.

Crews responded to the two-story home at the corner of Kraft Avenue and Cherokee Street around 8:20 a.m. and found fire on the upper floor, Bulanow said. Firefighters brought the flames under control in about 20 minutes. One of the people who had been in the home was taken to a local hospital with a burn to his lower leg and smoke inhalation.

The fire caused heavy damage to the second floor.

Occupants of the home told fire investigators that bedding likely caught fire, though the extent of the damage made it difficult to confirm, Bulanow said.

The Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross was assisting the home's occupants in the fourth displacement of people by fire since Friday.

Early Friday, 10 people from two families were displaced by a fire in St. Stephen, said Meredith Jarvis, chapter support associate. The ages of the four adults and six children ranged from 1 to 89.

Saturday, seven people were displaced by a fire in downtown Charleston, Jarvis said. A Summerville trailer fire over the weekend displaced four other people.

SPACE HEATER SAFETY The National Fire Protection Association reports that space heaters, portable and stationary alike, contribute to a quarter of home heating fires, but three quarters of home-heating fires that cause deaths.

Some safety tips:

-- Keep a 36-inch clearance (one yard) between all heating equipment and anything that can burn.

-- Portable space heaters should be turned off every time you leave the room or go to bed.

-- Do not use your oven to heat your home.

-- Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room.

-- Allow fireplace and wood stove ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container.

-- When buying a new space heater, make sure it carries the mark of an independent testing laboratory.

-- Be sure to have fixed space heaters, such as wood stoves, installed by a qualified technician.