ORLAND PARK, Ill., July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --On Tuesday, July 10, a deadly fire occurred in a single unit of a six-unit townhouse building in Park Forest, killing both a 59-year-old male and a 78-year-old female. The fire occurred during daylight hours and fire officials say a smoldering cigarette was the cause. The smoke detectors were not operating.
According to an Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office database, there have been 61 total fire deaths in Illinois this year.
"Most residential fire deaths occur at night when people are sleeping, so this midday tragedy is an example of the speed of flashover and an instance of how disorientation and being overcome by the smoke can eventually lead to deadly smoke and carbon monoxide inhalation," says Tom Lia, executive director for the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB). "Although firefighters were able to recover the two individuals from the fire, the smoke had already become overwhelming."
Lia notes that this tragic event is an unfortunate reminder of the need for better fire protection codes within Illinois that incorporate residential fire sprinklers in new construction. State Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis and leaders in the fire service are currently banding together to update the State's current edition of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code to the 2012 edition, which will require fire sprinklers in residential buildings such as the one where this fire occurred, as well as one- and two-family homes and townhomes. The code update will ensure that occupants in residential buildings will be better protected from fires, preventing deaths such as these in the future.
State Fire Marshal Matkaitis' efforts to include residential fire sprinklers in Illinois code are in line with "Sprinklering America: We Can, We Should, and We Must," a program being taught to the executive fire officers at the National Fire Academy (NFA) and supported by United States Fire Administrator Ernie Mitchell. The NFA program intends to "reinstill and motivate alumni to pursue built-in passive sprinkler protection along with early warning devices" to support data that demonstrates that "such protection can reduce the residential fire problem by as much as 80-90 percent."
"Better fire protection codes that include residential fire sprinklers in Illinois and nationwide will greatly reduce the loss of human lives. Our prayers go out to the Park Forest fire victims and their families. Let us also thank the firefighters who pulled them out of the smoke-filled house to try and save them," adds Lia.
About the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB)
NIFSAB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting progressive legislation, raising public awareness, and educating code officials and governmental policy makers by demonstrating the proven performance of fire sprinklers in saving both lives and property. For more info, visit www.firesprinklerassoc.org.
SOURCENorthern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board
