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'Everything in the room burst into flames'

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.

Firefighters breathed a sigh of relief Saturday evening after learning that a mother and her infant weren't home when their Hapnot Street suite caught fire. A couch sitting against a hot baseboard heater is believed to have caught fire and, after ravaging the suite, came within minutes of spreading to the entire home. "It got to approximately 1,500 degrees inside that suite," said Fire Chief Jim Petrie. "There was a flashover, meaning that everything in the room burst into flames at once because of the extreme heat." After racing to the scene, firefighters quickly entered each of the home's four suites to ensure that all occupants had safely evacuated. The fire had eaten its way into the attic, where paper insulation could have fed the flames to the point where they could not be contained. "It was probably a couple of minutes away from spreading to the other suites," said Petrie. A resident of the building reported the fire alarm in the suite going off shortly before 8 p.m. Crews left the scene about three hours and at least $50,000 in damages later. To minimize smoke and water damage, firefighters laid down tarps in the other suites. Residents of those suites were allowed to return home yesterd ay. After concluding his investigation into the fire yesterday morning, Petrie wanted to remind the public how crucial it is that items not be placed near baseboard heaters. "Most people don't realize how hot those elements get," he said. "It's an extremely bad idea to have anything near baseboard heaters." Petrie commended his firefighters on a job well done, saying every aspect of the Saturday's operation "went excellent."

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