Bronx Fire Injures 13 People

 Officials are investigating a four-alarm fire in the Bronx that injured 13 people and left several families displaced. According to a news report on NY1.com, the fire ripped through a quiet street of tidy houses and lawns in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. The blaze originated in the rear of 4523 Hill Ave and quickly hopped to neighboring homes. Eleven firefighters and two bystanders were injured. The Red Cross has used this incident to remind New Yorkers about the importance of having an emergency kit, plan and renters insurance. 

Structural Fires
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were 365,000 residential fires reported in the United States in 2012. In those fires, 2,380 civilian deaths and 12,875 civilian injuries were reported. Also, property damage in those residential fires was estimated at $5.7 billion. In 2013, the American Red Cross responded to more than 74,000 disasters in communities nationwide and 93 percent of these were fire related.
Being Prepared in the Event of a Fire
• Make your home fire safe: Install a battery-powered smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home. Test your smoke detector once a month. Replace batteries right away. Have a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Conduct periodic fire drills at home so everyone remembers what to do when there is a fire.
• Plan your escape routes: Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. If the plan involves an escape ladder, make sure everyone in the household knows how to use it. Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet. Practice your escape plan at least twice a year. Stay out once you are out.
• Escape safely: If you see smoke in your first escape route, use the second way out. When you exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke. If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. Do not open if its handle or knob is hot. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are.
Protecting Your Rights
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire or explosion, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: NY1.com