NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton Roads has seen many fires over the last few weeks. In the last nine days, we’ve reported on 11 residential fires in the area—two of them Thursday.
All left people displaced, hospitalized or dead.
The causes range from lightning strikes to electrical and undetermined reasons.
It underscores the importance of making sure you are doing everything you can to protect yourself and your family before disaster strikes and, quite possibly, during.
It’s been almost a week since a devastating fire in Kill Devil Hills killed three people and injured three others.
"Absolutely 100% disbelief, this cannot be happening," Cheryl Volk said, recalling the phone conversation informing her that her family was involved in the fire.
Volk's granddaughter, 13-year-old Sienna Farr, died in the fire while her mother, Laura, survived.
"Laura had said when the fire alarm went off, she immediately woke up and opened up the bedroom door, which isn’t what you’re supposed to do, but you don’t think, and she said instantly her saw bedroom was totally engulfed in flames," Volk said.
Captain Jim Ingledue with the Virginia Beach Fire Department said they typically anticipate an uptick in residential fires when people are turning on their heaters and fireplaces for the first time as the temperature drops. Not so much in the dead of summer.
"It sometimes seems like fires ebb and flow, although this is not what we typically think of as the time of year that we see these kinds of fires," he said.
He said it’s so important to have a working smoke detector and a fire extinguisher in your home.
"The important part is testing them and making sure they work," he said.
If your smoke detectors do go off and you smell smoke or see flames, you need to have a plan in place.
"It is very, very important that each family has a plan specific to their home and to their family members," Ingledue said.
He said having a second exit point like a window, establishing a meeting point outside and doing practice runs are great pieces of a plan.
"If the homeowner can account for everyone that lives there and even their pets, that’s a great asset to give to the firefighters," he said.
Keeping doors closed as you move towards an exit can also save lives. If you’re able to place a wet towel under the door, that can also stifle smoke. If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your exit. That's all according to the Red Cross.
Most importantly, get out of the house.
"If there’s any doubt in your mind, the best thing to do is just get yourself and everyone else out of the house," said Ingledue.
It’s something we all learned in school, but if your clothes catch on fire, stop drop and roll back and forth until the flames go out. Running will only make the fire burn faster.
If you’re staying at a hotel or rental property, you can bring along your own smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. You can also check the ones installed to make sure the light is blinking and that it’s working. Don’t forget to make a plan with your family once you arrive.