A fire claimed a home on Durham Street in Mount Airy in the early morning hours Sunday, but residents of the home were able to escape the blaze without injury.
According to Fire Chief Zane Poindexter, his department responded to a call for assistance at the Durham Street residence shortly about 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
The department, which sent 15 personnel to fight the fire, was aided by members of the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department, the Mount Airy Rescue Squad, Surry County Emergency Services and the Mount Airy Police Department. The American Red Cross and Duke Energy were also on the scene of the incident.
While fire department personnel had the situation under control within about an hour of arriving on scene, Poindexter’s department estimates there was $58,000 in property damage and $15,000 in loss of the contents at the residence. According to Poindexter, the home was a total loss.
Poindexter said the tenants at the residence were at the home at the time of the fire. However, all people in the home were able to escape unharmed. Additionally, no first responders were hurt in the firefighting attempts.
The chief said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but he wanted to extend some guidance regarding heating homes during the winter months to Mount Airy residents.
“Now is the time people need to be getting their heating systems checked,” said Poindexter.
Poindexter said a few basic steps can make heating a home much safer. Among those are steps for those who use all methods of heating a home.
“Owners and occupants need to get their chimneys checked,” explained Poindexter. “A chimney sweep can ensure there are no cracks in the chimney which might lead to a fire.”
Poindexter added if a chimney sweep isn’t available there are other contractors in the area who can perform the same function.
According to Poindexter, those who use electric heat sources such as space heaters should also take some precautions.
“Plugging too many electrical heating sources into one circuit is also a concern,” remarked Poindexter. “Those devices pull a lot of current, and if too many are on one circuit it can cause fires.”
Poindexter also said those using furnaces should get their heating devices serviced prior to the winter months. He said an annual service can prevent fires. In the instance of those heating their homes through the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas or propane, the annual service can also mitigate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the chief.
Residents should also maintain three feet of clearance around any heating device, warned Poindexter.
Poindexter said his department also recently sent “change your clocks, change your smoke detector batteries” postcards to city residents. He said now is the time to think about fire prevention and safety.
“This is the time of year when all this really comes into play,” concluded the chief.
