Firefighters Workload Increasing During Dry, Cold Weather

Oklahoma City fire officials say they’ve responded to a whopping 16 structure fires since Saturday.

Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson says most of them were housefires, including one Saturday night that resulted in the death of a man at a house near near NE 16th and Success.

12/31/17 Related Story: Several Metro Fires, Including 1 Fatal Break Out Over The Weekend

“Smoke does not wake you up if there is a fire in your home,” said Fulkerson. “You don’t. There’s been proven that smoke actually lulls you into a deeper sleep, so it’s imperative you have working smoke alarms in your home.”

Fulkerson says space heaters are fine, as long as they have emergency shut-off capabilities and are kept at least three feet from anything that can burn.  Also, he says, they must be turned them off before bedtime and even when simply leaving the room.