Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 4, 1994 TAG: 9401040181
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RIDGEWAY LENGTH: Medium
Eanes said excessive heat caused a wall stud to catch fire. He said the only way to determine why the heater got too hot would be to send the heater to an independent laboratory. However, Eanes said, testing could cost thousands of dollars, "and I just don't have the funds."
Ridgeway Fire Chief Wesley Brooks said smoke and flames likely trapped the family in the house, which was discovered burning around 4:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Sheriff's Office identified the victims as Lynne Dalton, 38; Crystal Dawn Gammons, 15; Grady William Gammons, 16; and Stefanie Cecile Gammons, 12.
Firefighters entered the house after the blaze was controlled about 5:30 a.m. and found the bodies, Brooks said.
Brooks said there was nothing unusual about the way the heating unit was installed. He said a smoke detector in the hallway of the one-story frame home might have been inoperative.
Eanes called the cause of the fire unusual. Electricians and electrical suppliers agreed.
"That's a freak thing, if I've ever heard of one," said Randy Cook, heating and air-conditioning supervisor with Bryant's Plumbing and Heating Corp. in Martinsville. One of the benefits of electric baseboard heat, he said, is safety.
David Price, owner of Price Electric Co. in Collinsville, said he didn't understand how the fire could occur, either. He said electric baseboard heaters have "thermal disconnect" safety devices that cut off the heaters if they get too hot.
"I've never seen one without it," he said.
Bill Sater, vice president of sales at Graves Supply Co., said that if the heater was nailed to the stud, it was installed properly.
"I don't know all the circumstances," he said. "But contractors will routinely install electric baseboard heaters with flat-head nails or screws, and they are made to be installed into studs. Normally, they will not get hot enough to catch a wood surface on fire."
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB