BAINBRIDGE, Ohio — A working smoke alarm alerted a Ross County family to a fire in their home Saturday morning, but a fire extinguisher that failed to work meant a juvenile was burned before firefighters arrived to finish putting out the flames.
The Bainbridge Volunteer Fire Department said crews were dispatched to a reported structure fire on East Second Street at 11:17 a.m. Engine 801 arrived four minutes later and found smoke showing from the building, according to the fire department.
Firefighters entered the home and found a room-and-contents fire, which the crew quickly contained. Command then canceled the response of mutual aid units from Paint Creek Joint Fire District, Huntington Fire Department and Twin Township Fire Department, all of which had been dispatched initially, the fire department said.
The home’s occupants were alerted to the fire by a working smoke alarm and tried to put out the flames themselves with a portable fire extinguisher before crews arrived, but the extinguisher failed to operate, according to the fire department. One juvenile occupant suffered minor burns and was treated and released at the scene.
Fire officials determined the fire was caused by the improper use or storage of a charging device.
Engine 801, Medic 816 and Command 819 operated at the scene. The Ross County Sheriff’s Office and its communications center also assisted, the fire department said.
The Bainbridge Volunteer Fire Department used the incident to renew a call for basic home fire safety. Officials recommend against placing phone chargers on soft surfaces or leaving them plugged in unnecessarily, urge residents to have household fire extinguishers regularly inspected to make sure they are charged and operable, and encourage regular testing of smoke alarms.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Bainbridge Volunteer Fire Department.
