Recent fires in the region serve as a reminder about the importance of taking safety measures to prevent them, especially during the winter.
A New Year’s Day fire in a five-story brick apartment building in Holyoke killed three people and left about 50 residents homeless, as well as two families who lived in an adjacent building damaged by the blaze.
Authorities identified Trevor R. Wadleigh, 34, of Easthampton, and Maria Caragena, 48, and Jorge Munoz, 55, both of Holyoke, as the victims of the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gullini said Monday that authorities do not believe it was intentionally set.
In November, a 1-year-old girl died in a house fire in Erving, and several of the eight other family members in the building were injured. The state Department of Fire Services determined that improper disposal of smoking materials caused that fire.
Two fires during December in Southampton point directly to seasonal hazards.
A house on East Street sustained about $150,000 in damage Dec. 16 when a lit wood stove led to a fire resulting from weakened mortar between the bricks in an old chimney. Fire Chief John Workman said that resulted in the fire breaking out in the breezeway connecting the house to a barn.
The two homeowners and their two dogs escaped without injury, but the fire left the house uninhabitable because of water and smoke damage and a collapsed ceiling.
And a Christmas night fire caused by an unattended candle resulted in an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 in smoke and water damage to a house on Karen Lane. Workman said that fire resulted from a candle left burning near flammable Christmas decorations in the kitchen, and it spread into the attic. No injuries were reported.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services advises people to burn candles no closer than a foot from anything that might catch fire.
Beyond that, the agency has issued a series of safety tips to help prevent fires, particularly at this time of year. Among the most recent is not letting Christmas trees linger in the house.
“Start the new year off right by promptly disposing of your Christmas tree,” says state Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “A dried out Christmas tree will ignite quickly and spread a fire very fast … even a well-watered tree quickly dries out and becomes a danger.”
Ostroskey further warns that discarded trees should not be left near buildings because they “provide an easy fuel for arsonists. An abandoned tree is frequently attractive to vandals.”
Instead, Ostroskey urges residents to check with their community to see if it has a recycling program for Christmas trees.
Winter is also a time when heating sources are a common cause of fires. According to the Department of Fire Services, a problem with the heating system caused nearly 10,000 fires in the state during the past five years.
Precautions that should be taken include keeping space heaters at least three feet away from anything flammable, and disposing of ashes from wood, pellet and coal stoves in a metal container with a lid away from houses, garages and porches.
Ostroskey also advises homeowners to routinely maintain their heating system by having the furnace and chimney checked by professionals.
And working smoke alarms are a must. “Last winter too many people died in homes without working smoke alarms,” Ostroskey said. “No one thinks fire will happen to them, but a majority of fire deaths occur in homes without working alarms.”
Between December 2015 and March 2016, 31 people died in fires at homes in Massachusetts, and there were no working smoke alarms in 55 percent of those incidents, according to Ostroskey.
The Department of Fire Services says that smoke alarms should be discarded after 10 years because their sensors wear down over time. The state now recommends that new smoke alarms installed in residences have 10-year, sealed non-rechargeable, non-replaceable batteries.
Heeding these basic precautions make common sense throughout the year to reduce the possibility of tragic fires.