The chief of the city of Wheeling hopes local residents have paid attention to the fatal fires that have taken place in the Upper Ohio Valley in the last week.
Two South Wheeling residents were killed when their home at 4224 Jacob Street was engulfed in flames just after 9 p.m. on October 6. While the official report has not been released by state investigators, Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms confirmed that it was electrical.
The victims, a man and a woman who resided there for several years and were known by their neighbors, have not yet been identified. One resident was discovered deceased on the house’s second floor while the other was found on the first floor. Helms reported there were no fire detectors in the home.
In addition, a fatal structure fire also took place in Martins Ferry on October 9. One man, identified yesterday as 63-year-old Jay Thomas, died in the blaze, and a male survivor, 57-year-old David Sullivan, reportedly lost all his possessions.
“While I am unaware of the details on the Martins Ferry fire, one of the things that we’ve seen here is the lack of smoke detectors, and that was the case with the fatal fire in South Wheeling,” Helms reported. “That’s something that we have worked really hard on, and we have given out free smoke detectors and, in some cases, we have installed them for residents here in Wheeling.
“Smoke detectors are the one thing that can save people from a house fire,” the chief continued. “Since we are able to get out into our community more now, if anyone is in need of smoke detectors, all they need to do is contact us.”
Hidden Flames
While the fire chief does not know how long the Jacob Street blaze began, he does believe 12-foot hedges in the front and sides of the structure obstructed the public’s view, and he also reported that a few windows had been boarded up.
“I am not sure if they closed those windows for security reasons, or if they were closed off because something was wrong with the actual windows,” Helms explained. “But they limited our access after our arrival, and then those boards caught fire, too.
“So, there were a lot of factors that made that fire very challenging for our firefighters,” he said. “Our No. 1 goal when we arrive to a scene like that is to get the people out first before we start to fight it, and those efforts were certainly made.”
While the hedges did not obstruct Wheeling firefighters from battling the blaze, Helms believes the landscaping delayed the call to the Ohio County 911 Center.
“Those hedges are so tall that it was probably on fire for a while before anyone noticed it,” Helms said. “You really couldn’t see the whole front of the house, and that fire was heavily involved when our first units arrived to the scene. Plus, because of what was inside the home, there was a lot of smoke that made it very difficult for our firefighters once they gained entry.
“The house had a wood frame, too, so that played a part, of course, but if the residents would have known there was a fire, they may have been able to get out,” he said. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and the city lost two of its residents.”
Safety and Staying Home
At this time of year, Chief Helms and his firefighters usually launch a fire safety campaign that includes media coverage and stop-drop-and-roll conversations with local students. However, thanks to COVID-19, that campaign has not been able to take place.
“One of the biggest concerns that we have had since the pandemic began in March is that people are home a lot more than they usually are,” Helms explained. “That means they are cooking more at home, and now that it’s cooled off at night, they are using those space heaters to keep warm.
“We expected to see more house fires in the spring and the summer because of the time spent at home, and fortunately we didn’t see that until just recently,” he said. “Plus, because of the Covid, our department hasn’t been able to get out to the community to talk to folks about fire safety. One of things we always remind people of is to pay attention when they are cooking at home because that is one of the leading causes of residential fires.”
It is the improper use of space heaters that concerns Wheeling’s fire chief the most, and that’s because too often the units are utilized inside homes that do not possess the proper wiring.
“At this time of year, especially at night, people have started using those space heaters and a lot of times they are overloading the circuits in the house,” Helms said. “Plus, space heaters are designed to by themselves and not plugged into a power strip or with an extension cord, and we have a lot of older homes in this city that do not have the wiring needed to use a space heater.
“Those heating systems are not for use 24/7. They are not made to be used all day and all night, and one mistake make is continuing to run them overnight,” he said. “Those heaters are for temporary use, too, but we see them getting used a lot longer and with that comes inherent dangers.”
