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Officials tout fire
safety
BY PAT KIMBROUGH
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – The onset of cooler weather makes the timing of
National Fire Prevention Week, which begins Sunday, that much more fitting,
said Capt. Denita Lynch of the High Point Fire
Department.
“When it starts getting cold, that’s when we typically see a slight
increase in (house) fires,” said Lynch.
Furnaces and chimneys that aren’t in working order and homeless
people trying to get warm in vacant structures are often the causes of
cold-weather blazes, which fire officials locally and beyond hope to curb
with the week-long publicawareness campaign. The
annual observance is set to coincide with the anniversary of the Great
Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed 300 people and left 100,000 homeless.
Fire officials across the country step up their public education and
prevention efforts during the week.
The message they’re emphasizing this year is cooking safety.
“Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat” is the slogan that’s being
used in pointing out that more fires start in the kitchen than in any other
part of the home.
The High Point Fire Department plans to set up a display at City
Hall with safety information and give talks at local schools during the
week, said Lynch. pkimbrough@hpe.com"
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pkimbrough@hpe.com |888-3531
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