GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's been nearly two years since Tonya Miles and her family lost their nearly 100-year-old home on New Years Day.
Miles says firefighters determined it started around the fireplace. The combination of the old wooden house, a bitterly cold day, and an unexpected fire starter led to disastrous results.
"Our house was over 100 years old, so we had both fireplaces going," said Miles, "It was on this wall over here. They said the squirrels built a nest between the wall and the fireplace. Of course, we couldn't see it, and the nesting they used had trickled onto the fireplace and... it just ignited."
The Greensboro Fire Department is expecting more calls like that as we approach winter. Unlike Miles' situation, most fires are preventable.
"That's when we receive the majority of our calls for the year, especially structure fires," said Deputy Chief Dwayne Church, "We see an increase in structure fires, residential structure fires during the cold months of the year."
Church says half of the heating source fire calls - such as, from fireplaces and space heaters - occur between December and February.
He says it's important to remember:
- If you plan on using the fireplace - get the chimney cleaned now.
- Any time you're using a space heater inside - keep it at least 3 feet from anything that could catch fire.
- If you put up a Christmas tree - keep it watered, so it doesn't dry out.
The leading cause of house fire can happen at any time of the year. Church says those are cooking-related fires.
