A sleeping 5-year-old boy survived an apartment fire July 12 thanks to a closed door and a rescue from the Indianapolis Fire Department.
The fire department was dispatched shortly after 8 a.m. to an apartment building on Barbary Lane after a 32-year-old woman awoke to heavy black smoke, according to a news release. Unable to reach her child, the woman evacuated out of a sliding door and called 911.
Firefighters entered the apartment to find a 5-year-old boy sleeping in his bedroom. Since the door was closed, smoke did not enter the room and kept the child from being seriously injured. The boy was removed from the apartment and taken to the hospital.
The department is still investigating the cause of the fire.
Why is it important to keep doors closed in case of fire?
Years of fire safety research has shown that a closed door can mean the difference between life and death.
Researchers using thermal imaging have found that temperatures inside closed-door rooms during a fire are less than 100 degrees while open-door rooms had average temperatures of 1000 degrees or more. Rooms with open doors also had a drastically higher concentration of carbon monoxide.
It’s for these reasons that the Fire Safety Research Institute recommends sleeping with a closed bedroom door.
People should also ensure they have working smoke alarms and an evacuation plan in case of a fire. Three out of every five fire deaths occur without a working smoke alarm according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Child survives Indy apartment fire thanks to this critical fire safety tip
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
