Fire department warns of dangers associated with first use of furnace

By Lena Khzouz The Ile Camera

A Grosse Ile resident is counting her blessings this month knowing that a small fire at her home could have been much worse.

The incident has served as a reminder about fire safety, especially during this time of the year when homeowners are turning their furnaces back on for the colder season.

Fire Marshal Russell Bodrie said that when the resident turned on her furnace for the first time on Oct. 5, it heated up the plywood floor underneath and caught the floor on fire.

The modern-day rule is to place furnaces on cement or stone, but when this house was built many years ago, the hot water boiling system was placed on a wooden floor in a mechanical room.

About 10 or 15 minutes after she turned on the furnace, her house filled with smoke, and she left the house and called 911.

Bodrie said they were able to contain the fire to its room of origin, and that only the plywood under the furnace was damaged. He said they sprayed water on the fire to put it out, although they had to cut the floor to make sure they got it all.

Its common this time of the year for wood to catch fire after homeowners turn on their furnaces for the first time, Bodrie said.

The reason for that is because moisture in wood is what actually causes it to burn. During the winter months when furnaces are constantly running, the wood remains dry throughout the months. Over the summer while the furnace is not in use, the wood has collected just enough humidity to give it the fuel to burn, he said.

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Fire department warns of dangers associated with first use of furnace