Electric Blanket Blamed in Apartment Fire

Investigators have not determined if the electric blanket malfunctioned or other circumstances were behind the it catching on fire.

Photo courtesy: Bill Holmstrom/Salem Fire

(SALEM) - The occupants of an apartment fire at 189 25th Street NE, in Salem at the Kalani Apartments, made a safe escape because they were warned by their fire alarm.

Gail Jacob and John Barber had been awake just 10 minutes at 7:01 AM Sunday when their smoke detector activated, alerting them to a fire in their bedroom. Ms. Jacob says they were in the living room when the alarm sounded, "I looked to see what was happening and I saw my bed was on fire." Both occupants escaped safely.

Salem Fire Spokesman Bill Holmstrom says that when firefighters arrived on scene, the Captain, Don Fleck , could see flames inside the north window. "Firefighters made entry inside the structure through the east door. They quickly extinguished the fire, saving thousands of dollars in possible damage to the apartment and neighboring apartment units," Holmstrom added.

Crews from Salem Fire's Ladder Company #2 set up ventilation to remove smoke from the apartment. Holmstrom says that while ventilation was set up, other firefighters worked on removing water from the apartment with watervacs.

"It took 14 Firefighters just 5 minutes to knock down the fire and control the incident. The fire was contained to the room of origin."

The cause of the fire was determined to be an electric blanket. Investigators have not determined if the electric blanket malfunctioned or other circumstances were behind the it catching on fire. Gail Jacob told firefighters that she thought she shut off the electric blanket after getting out of bed.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commision did not indicate any recall for the serial number obtained by firefighters. The loss is estimated at $5,000 ($4,000 Structure & $1,000 Contents).

Firefighters placed a new smoke detector up in the apartment prior to clearing the scene.

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US Consumer Product Safety Commision: Click here