DENHAM SPRINGS — As the State Fire Marshal’s office investigates a deadly Denham Springs house fire that happened over the weekend, officials are urging everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms.
The fire killed 96-year-old James Garrett, his great-granddaughter, 21-year-old Kirsten Vidrine, and Vidrine’s friend, 20-year-old Danielle Ricard. A 43-year-old man, David Vidrine, escaped the fire and was hospitalized for his injuries. A relative told UWK that David Vidrine is Garrett’s grandson-in-law and Vidrine’s father.
The relative, Amanda Broussard, who is Garrett’s granddaughter & David Vidrine’s sister-in-law, told UWK Saturday morning that all of the electrical work in the home had been redone after the flood, and they don’t know what the cause of the fire was.
“Be mindful. It’s cold,” Broussard said. “Mind your heaters. We don’t know what happened, and I really don’t want anybody else to go through this. So just be mindful.”
The State Fire Marshal echoed Broussard’s statement, reminding everyone about the importance of electrical safety.
- Avoid overloading power strips, especially with high-wattage appliances such as space heaters.
- Do not connect multiple extension cords to create non-traditional power sources.
- Use extension cords only for temporary or short-term purposes.
Smoke alarm safety
During the investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office learned the home didn’t have any working smoke alarms.
“It is critical that the people of Louisiana understand how much of a difference smoke alarms can make when it comes to surviving a fire,” said DPS Principal Assistant, Chief Bryan J. Adams. “It’s not the flames that kill, it’s the smoke. Smoke alarms give families early warning of an emergency and valuable time to escape safely.”
In December, the State Fire Marshal boosted smoke alarm safety with ‘Operation Save-a-Life.’ The office distributed more than 10,000 smoke alarms to Louisiana fire departments, for them to distribute and install for free to those in need.
“One of the most important things is having a working smoke detector in your home,” said Denham Springs Fire Chief Richard Stafford. “The program is through the State Fire Marshal’s office, and it’s really easy. If you live inside the city limits, just call our office. It’s a quick little application, we fill it out, and we’ll set up a time and a day that you want them installed. We give them to one of the fire crews, and they’ll come out and install them for you at your convenience.”
You can call the DSFD Headquarters at (225) 667-8345 or (225) 667-8319 Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to schedule an appointment.
“This is a great opportunity for our citizens to have another level of safety during the winter months, when we’re using all sorts of different forms of heating, being gas or electric heaters,” Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry said. “But we need to save as many lives as we can, because it is uncalled for that we don’t have smoke detectors working. And these have 10-year batteries, so they will last a long time.”
You can get free smoke alarms if you live outside of city limits, or in a different parish. “You can call your local fire department & tell them you need some smoke detectors, and they’ll get your address and they’ll come out and take care of it,” Chief Stafford said.
“We don’t know what kind of condition the house was in, or if it was properly inspected after the flood,” Mayor Landry said. “Were there repairs that were maybe done by non-certified electricians or maybe even a plumber who had access to a natural gas line? W just don’t know what the cause is, or how it could have been avoided. And those kinds of facts are good only in that we could share it with the citizens and try to make sure that we we don’t have another situation like this.”
“It’s just so sad it happened. I happened to know the family,” Mayor Landry said. “They’re a great family.”
Community Risk Reduction Week
This week, Jan. 19-25, is Community Risk Reduction Week. “Home fires are not random tragedies; they’re often predictable and preventable,” Michael Desrochers, National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) president and Vermont State Fire Marshal said. “During Community Risk Reduction Week, we’re asking every American to take a few simple actions that can make the difference between a close call and a catastrophe.”
According to NASFM, cooking is the number one cause of house fires, heating during peak season is the second most common cause, and electrical problems are the third.
Louisiana has had nine fire-related deaths so far this year.
NASFM recommends every household complete these quick steps during Community Risk Reduction Week:
- Test smoke alarms; fix or replace any that don’t sound.
- Create a 3-foot safety zone around heaters and cooking areas.
- Set a cooking rule: “If the stove is on, someone is in the kitchen.”
- Make sure space heaters are plugged directly into a wall outlet.
- Practice a home escape plan with two ways out of each room.
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