Red Cross helps victims of Phillips fire
The American Red Cross assisted three adults and one child after fire damaged their modular home on Ash Road in the village of Phillips, North Union Township, early Sunday afternoon. The Red Cross provided the family of four with the needed food, clothing and shelter.
It was the 11th fire in Fayette County since the beginning of October in which the Red Cross assisted families in need.
On Nov. 9, the agency assisted a family of two after their home on Morgantown Street in Fairchance burned.
On Nov. 11, the agency provided food and clothing to a family of four after fire damaged their home on McConnell Road in Mount Pleasant.
The number of fires that has occurred within a five-week period in the county nearly reached the same number that occurred in a three-month period earlier this year, said Red Cross spokeswoman Jill Berardi.
“We had 16 fires from July through September,” she said. “What happened within a three month period came pretty close in a lesser period of time.”
Berardi predicts a higher number of fires in which the Red Cross will respond to as the weather becomes colder and people start using alternative heating sources.
Berardi stressed for people to take precautions to prevent fires during the holiday and winter seasons.
She said people should be sure smoke detectors are in working order, adding that old batteries should be replaced.
She said people never should leave candles unattended and warned residents to be careful that space heaters are not near furniture.
To prevent dryer fires, she urged people to regularly clean the lint from the machine and to never leave the home with the dryer still running.
Electrical fires could be prevents by checking the outlets, especially those attached to extension cords, are not overloaded, said Berardi.
She stressed that people do not place furniture over extension cords and regularly check to see if the circuits are hot, which means it’s time to unplug those Christmas lights or another electrical device.