Brooklyn Borough Prez: East Flatbush Fire 'A Wake Up Call'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is taking new steps to keep the public safe after two people died in a house fire early Saturday morning.
In wake of Saturday's events, Adams spent Sunday morning handing out dozens of smoke detectors in East Flatbush. He also plans to visit different Brooklyn communities throughout the holiday season to teach about fire safety.
"This is a wake up call for all of us," Adams said. "No one wants to lose a family member at any time of the year."
Husband and wife Lord Kinard, 76, and Octavia Kinard, 71, were killed after being trapped on an upstairs floor of an East Flatbush home during a fire early Saturday morning. Five others were injured, WLNY TV 10/55's Ilana Gold reported.
Fire officials said they believe the cause of the blaze was a failed power strip in the first-floor dining room. They said the smoke detectors in the home were not working.
Electricians say it's key to be careful and make sure your power cords aren't overloaded during the holiday season, and to consider plugging in Christmas lights into wall outlets. Electricians also advise to never plug electric heaters into a power cord, and don't rely on extension cords as a constant power source.
"While you are home you plug it in -- you're over there, you're watching it," Joel Fischer, of Select Electrical Group, said. "When you're not at home, you make sure to unplug it."
According to Fischer, use a three-pronged power cord that's grounded, instead of a two-pronged one with covering that isn't as strong.
Adams said about eighty-five percent of electrical fires are because of faulty extension cords.
"We do not want the holiday seasons of lights to be replaced with the lights of emergency vehicles responding to a fire," Adams said.
