Published: Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 3:37 PM Updated: Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 3:38 PM
To the Editor:
Tragedy struck Bridgeton in the early morning on April 9, 2012, when a fire claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl who was visiting the residence. Firefighters responded to the fire at 3:15 a.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames.
Despite multiple attempts, rescue personnel were not able to enter the burning home. Four other occupants of the home were members of the same family who reside at the residence on Church Street and were able to escape. The family was treated at local hospitals for their injuries, which appeared to be non-life threatening.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, however, this terrible tragedy could have been prevented.
New Jersey has seen an increase in the number of house and apartment fires recently, resulting in tragic fatalities and catastrophic property loss. In many cases, properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers control (and typically extinguish) a fire before the fire department even arrives on the scene. More importantly, the presence of fire sprinklers mitigates the risk to individuals affected by the blaze, including inhabitants of the structure and firefighters who battle the fire.
Fire sprinklers are the only proactive form of fire protection, providing firefighters the time they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible, and helping to avoid potential tragedies like the one that occurred in Bridgeton this week.
David Kurasz
Executive Director,
New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board
North Brunswick
Tragedy struck Bridgeton in the early morning on April 9, 2012, when a fire claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl who was visiting the residence. Firefighters responded to the fire at 3:15 a.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames.
Despite multiple attempts, rescue personnel were not able to enter the burning home. Four other occupants of the home were members of the same family who reside at the residence on Church Street and were able to escape. The family was treated at local hospitals for their injuries, which appeared to be non-life threatening.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, however, this terrible tragedy could have been prevented.
New Jersey has seen an increase in the number of house and apartment fires recently, resulting in tragic fatalities and catastrophic property loss. In many cases, properly installed and maintained fire sprinklers control (and typically extinguish) a fire before the fire department even arrives on the scene. More importantly, the presence of fire sprinklers mitigates the risk to individuals affected by the blaze, including inhabitants of the structure and firefighters who battle the fire.
Fire sprinklers are the only proactive form of fire protection, providing firefighters the time they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible, and helping to avoid potential tragedies like the one that occurred in Bridgeton this week.
David Kurasz
Executive Director,
New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board
North Brunswick
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