Apartment fire prompts Whitehall to issue one specific safety tip

WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) — The Whitehall Division of Fire is using a recent fire to remind the community how the simple action of closing bedroom doors before going to sleep can make a big difference.  

The message Whitehall and other fire departments have been sharing is, "Close before you doze."

“Closing could save a life, closing that door could save your life," Whitehall Battalion Chief John King said. "That little door, as lightweight and as hollow as it is, can add minutes, I'm talking five, 10 minutes. The fire can be raging on the other side of it, and it will create a barrier that will give you that much more time to keep you away from the heat and the smoke to go out a window.”  

A fire from about a month ago proves the safety tip works, according to the department, and now it hopes that event will encourage others to follow the advice.  

There was a fire in the hall of a 48-unit apartment building in November. King said everyone made it out OK and that most apartment doors were kept closed, giving residents valuable time.

"It's indescribable the difference that little door can make," he said. 

The apartment unit doors being closed helped give those inside extra seconds or minutes to get out their windows on their own or wait for firefighters to help them. 

“The message just needs to be and it's simple, close before you doze, close that door before you go to bed, that can make all the difference," King said. "That fire proved exactly what we’re talking about. It made the difference between multiple people being hurt, injured, or killed, and everybody surviving and being fine.” 

The cause of the fire at the apartment building is still under investigation.