CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Fire Marshal’s Office says two men died in separate fires Thursday night, and at least one of the deaths is likely tied to having an unsafe heating source.
State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree is urging state residents to be careful this weekend with another shot of cold air set to hit West Virginia resulting in sub-zero temperatures.
Tyree said residents doing things they don’t usually do to stay warm can result in fires that could mean loss of life.
“We should just be ever-vigilant,” Tyree said Friday. “We advocate for smoke alarms but carbon monoxide alarms are no less important and critical this time of year.”
The deadly fires took place near Valley Grove in Ohio County and in Parkersburg. The Fire Marshal’s Office said a 29-year-old man died in the Ohio County fire and a 62-year-old man in the Parkersburg blaze.
According to investigators the Parkersburg fire “has been ruled undetermined in cause, but is most probably accidental due to unsafe use of heat sources.”
Tyree said residents use unvented fuel-fired appliances to keep warm but it comes with a risk.
“It’s definitely key to have operating working carbon monoxide alarms. They are to be located on all levels of the home and outside the sleeping areas,” Tyree said.
Unchecked heating sources could cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
Tyree said space heaters and other alternate forms of heat should be turned off when you go to bed.
“It’s better to layer-up especially when you’re going to bed and going to be sleeping for several hours,” Tyree said. “Not even portal electrical heaters, you should shut those off.”