Officials urge safety measures over holiday
An early morning fire destroyed an unoccupied home at 713 Franklin Street in Russellville Thursday and fireworks could be to blame, officials said.
The incident is still under investigation, but Russellville Fire Marshal Bobby Malone said there was no electricity running to the building.
“The fire had to start somehow,” Malone said. “Residents in the neighborhood told me of some people out shooting fireworks around midnight the day before so it could be a possibility that fireworks started the blaze.”
City officials have expressed deep concerns about safety this time of year because of all the potential hazards that could ignite a tragic holiday experience.
Russellville residents are allowed to use fireworks through Tuesday but no later than 10:30 p.m.
Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell encourages everyone to take safety precautions before lighting the fuse.
“One thing we would like to encourage is adult supervision when shooting fireworks,” he said. “We would also recommend having a bucket of water nearby in case something did happen to where a fire flared up caused by fireworks.”
Mansell said people should still pay attention even after cleaning up once celebration activities are over.
“Be careful when disposing of your fireworks,” Mansell said. “We have found cases to where someone has thrown away remains of a firework that was still hot and caught the trash can on fire. There are times when some fireworks turn out to be duds, we urge people who run into these situations to make sure and douse those with water just to be on the safe side.”
Last year, 9,000 people entered an emergency room in the United States because of injuries sustained from shooting fireworks.
Mansell said he hopes no one get severely injured this year.
“Over the years there have been fatalities and structure fires suffered as a direct result of fireworks,” he said. “We just want everyone to be safe this holiday season and think about what you’re about to do before actually doing it. We encourage everyone to contact us if anything goes wrong, even if it is as little as a grass fire because some people may think the fire is out but it could actually flare up again.”
Mansell said fireworks shouldn’t be the only thing people pay attention to safety wise this holiday weekend.
“If your grilling make sure not to wear loose clothing and if your out on a boat make sure there is a fire extinguisher on board along with enough safety jackets for everyone on board,” Mansell said. “Those are some other things folks should pay attention to this holiday weekend.”
Malone said there is nothing wrong with having a good time just as long as you are smart about what you are doing.
“Hot ashes from charcoal grills should cool down before dumping them in the trash,” he said. “There have been times where a fire has come from those who dumped it before it was cooled. I’d also like to tell those who are using grills in apartments complexes to make sure an keep an eye on your grill at all times. The flames from the grill could potentially melt the siding and cause your entire complex to catch fire and we do not want that at all.”
Both Malone and Mansell said if anyone is worried about their children shooting fireworks the best thing to do is leave it to the professionals and go to a fireworks show such as Russellville’s “Jam on Sloss Lake” beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 4 with the firework display beginning at 9:30 p.m.
Both also encourage those who run into any problems to give your local Fire departments a call and be safe as we celebrate our nation’s birthday.
