‘Most fires are preventable’: Fire marshal explains common causes of house fires
Shawn Allen is the Sterling Heights fire marshal.
Allen and most fire marshals across the country get upset when people are hurt or killed in house fires because they are preventable.
“95-96 percent of the fires are preventable. Most fires are preventable, that we see. Typically they’re always caused by user error,” said Allen.
That’s right, user error -- mistakes we make and don’t even know it. Allen said a common mistake is placing a space heater too close to something that will catch fire.
“If you put them next to drapery, cardboard boxes, if it’s underneath your desk and you have a filing cabinet that’s full of papers stuff like that -- papers that are in the trash, plastic trash cans. That’s all considered combustibles,” said Allen.
Moreover, space heaters are to be plugged directly into the wall.
Read the life-saving tips here.
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Pittsfield Township man barricaded in apartment after shots fired; neighbors evacuated
A man is barricaded inside an apartment Tuesday morning at a complex in the 2200 block of Glencoe Hills Drive in Pittsfield Township.
Neighboring apartments in the Glencoe Hills Apartment Complex have been evacuated, police said. A 59-year-old man is believed to be barricaded inside one of the apartments after reports of shots fired.
The Washtenaw County Metro SWAT Team and Crisis Negotiation Team have responded to the situation.
“Members of the public are asked to stay out of the area. Local schools, districts, and bus routes have been advised,” reads a statement from Pittsfield Township police.
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Weather forecast: Cold and gray January day
COVID in Michigan 🦠
Michigan reported 37,114 new cases of COVID-19 and 251 virus-related deaths Friday -- an average of 18,557 cases over a two-day period.
Friday’s update brings the total number of confirmed COVID cases in Michigan to 1,746,707, including 28,479 deaths. These numbers are up from 1,709,593 cases and 28,228 deaths, as of Wednesday. The deaths announced Friday include 140 identified during a Vital Records review.
The next update won’t be until next Wednesday (Jan. 19) because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday, Jan. 17.
Read the latest COVID report here.