Dog Gets Blame For Eastpointe House Fire
Fire Marshal Says Family Was Fortunate
POSTED: Tuesday, December 23, 2003
UPDATED: 12:14 pm EST December 23,
2003
Firefighters believe a weekend house fire in Eastpointe started when a dog knocked over a Christmas candle.
The fire started in the family room of the home on Tuscany Street Sunday morning, according to a report in
The Macomb Daily. Firefighters were reportedly able to control the blaze within minutes of arriving.
Firefighters believe the family's dog knocked a candle off a table and it landed on a plastic sled, according to the paper's report. Fire Marshal Jeff Wallace said the owner of house got up and noticed the fire, but kicked the candle away and it landed on the Christmas tree, which then caught fire.
The man and his wife called the fire department immediately and threw water on the fire, the paper reported.
There were no injuries reported. Wallace said the family was fortunate because if the fire had burned a few minutes longer, they might have perished in the blaze.
The batteries inside the family's smoke detectors were reportedly dead. Wallace offered the following tips for preventing fires this holiday season:
When blowing out a candle, put a little water on the wick and put it in a sink. Make sure the candle is completely out. Replace your smoke detector batteries.
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