A fire claimed the life of a Quinwood woman on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
Greenbrier County 911 Center Director Mike Honaker explained the tragedy emergency responders found on scene.
“There was a person inside. Her name was Emily Vanmeter, she was 75 years old. She was killed in the fire. [The Fire Marshal is] looking at two things. One, she was on oxygen. And two, there was a brief power outage. We suspect the connection between the power being turned back on and ignition of the oxygen tank that created an initial explosion that resulted in the fire that killed her.”
The 911 Center was notified of the call around 8:08 p.m. after the call was first routed through the Fayette County 911 Center.
Emergency responders with West Virginia State Police, the Rainelle Fire Department, Rupert Fire Department, White Sulphur Springs Emergency Medical Services, Quinwood Fire Department, and the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office soon arrived on scene but were unable to help beyond containment.
“Ultimately, all these agencies responded, Quinwood Fire Department as the primary agency,” Honaker explained. “When they arrived, they found the residence fully engulfed.”
Although an investigation with the West Virginia Fire Marshal is ongoing and has not yet reached any definitive conclusions, an individual present in the home explained to emergency responders what could have started the fire.
“There was a family member present to make us aware that there was an issue with her oxygen tank and the power going out being turned back on,” Honaker explained. “That’s how we know that, it’s not speculation. There was actually another person in the residence, a family member that got out of the fire and was able to communicate those two very important facts to us. They actually got out, but by the time they realized what was taking place, they were not able to get back inside. … The other person going in or out, the response time of the fire department, or a family member being present would have not been a factor in saving her.”
The individual present was able to get out of the residence safely and has not been displaced, Honaker noted.
This fire is just one of several that have emerged in the past few weeks. Honaker also emphasized the need for families to take extra precautions when beginning to heat their homes for the winter.
“IF you do use additional heaters, whether they’re electric heaters, kerosene heaters, wood stoves, or fireplaces, take all the necessary precautions to ensure [you] do it safely, because we will continue to see little uptick in the number of fire calls in the next couple months,” Honaker said. “We normally see an increase in the number of fires in residences this time of year, as the temperatures begin to change and it becomes colder.”
How can a family prepare for the season? While no method is perfect, and some tragedies are unavoidable, there are a few things someone can do to prepare.
“These [fires] are sometimes the result of people who begin to use kerosene heaters, or begin to use their fireplaces or wood stoves and haven’t ensured that the chimney or the wood stove has been cleaned. There’s quite a few people that still use electric heaters. [If you put it] your home and there’s a stack of newspapers, or books, or a piece of furniture … too close to it, the next thing you know, you have a stack catch on fire, and it’s out of control before you can really do much with it. Be really, really careful this time of year with auxiliary heat sources.”
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