ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Delta County has seen an uptick in structure fires recently, with a house fire in Perkins on January 10, as well as the blaze that destroyed two Downtown Escanaba businesses and killed one person on January 24.
As the Escanaba Department of Public Safety continues to investigate the cause of the Ludington Street fire, officials are encouraging caution. According to Public Safety Director John Gudwer, fire risks tend to increase in the winter months.
“This time of year is typically more prone to fires starting due to people burning their woodstoves, people don’t clean their chimneys, our furnaces are running more,” he explained.
To avoid house fires, Gudwer recommends keeping heating equipment clear of flammable objects.
“Anything that has a flame, you’re not leaving on top of your stove, inside your stove, around your furnace area, your hot water heaters,” he said. “If you’re going to be using space heaters, make sure it’s in an open space.”
An especially common cause of house fires—including the Perkins fire, according to the Michigan State Police Gladstone Post—is electrical issues.
“Make sure you’re not overloading your electrical circuits,” warned Gudwer. “You can use ground faults that will trip and stop the power supply if there’s too much demand.”
Gudwer says smoke alarms are the simplest way to prevent a tragedy.
“Unfortunately, fires don’t always occur during daylight hours when we’re awake and alert,” he said. “They can wake us up or another family member to be able to get out of your residence.”
Escanaba Public Safety has a limited supply of free smoke alarms available to city residents, including a combination carbon monoxide and smoke alarm. Once residents equip their homes with smoke alarms, it is crucial to change the batteries every six months.
“A good time to do that is when we change our time in the spring and when we fall back an hour in the fall,” said Gudwer. “Those are always good reminders to change your smoke alarms. They literally can save your life.”
Gudwer says if you find yourself in a fire, the most important steps to take are to immediately call 911 and to get out.
Escanaba residents in need of a smoke alarm can contact Escanaba Public Safety at (906) 786-5912 and ask to speak with Jude VanDamme.
