On Sunday, February 23rd at approximately 12:34 AM, the Joplin Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire with people possibly still inside. A Joplin Police Department officer in the neighborhood patroling arrived at the same time we were getting the call and was able to assist all occupants out of the structure through the back door. Fortunately, there were no injuries during this fire and the family has agreed to allow the JFD to share security video from the fire to help share important safety information.
The video we obtained from this fire drives home the importance of equipping your home with smoke alarms, developing escape plans with your family in the event of a fire, and also how quickly a fire can spread. The video begins in the living room with a small child sleeping on the sofa. The fire was an accidental fire that originated on the front porch and then being wind-driven advanced quickly and breeched into the home blocking the front door and stairwell almost immediately. The small child can be heard coughing while she sleeps from smoke that is entering the home and even sleeps through the fire breaching into the front of the house. This home was protected by a fire alarm system that when activated set off an audible alarm and advised there was a fire in the house. This woke the small child who reacted immediately by escaping the other direction, which according to family members is what they taught her. The video ends showing the entire family exiting the back of the house to safety as the entire family was awakened by the alarm going off.
This family was in real danger of being trapped and/or overcome by smoke and fire due to how quickly it was advancing. It took just a few seconds to become a free burning fire that had blocked the stairwell and front exit. If the alarm had not sounded it is possible that the family would not have had time to escape to safety.
Please ask yourself these questions: Does your home have functioning smoke detectors? Have you taught your children what to do if there is a fire? What is your backup plan if you can’t get out of a house? This could very well save your life.
We want to sincerely thank this family for allowing us to share their video of this during their time of tragedy so that we can possibly save others. We also want to thank them for taking the steps necessary to ensure the safety of their family when their fire occurred.