"A lot of people, this time of year, when it gets real cold, they turn theheat higher than usual or put more wood on it," said Battalion ChiefThomas Parker of the Wilson Fire Department.
Two years ago, a Northampton County couple died in a mobile home firewhich investigators attributed to a neglected to a kerosene heater.
A few months after the Northampton fire, two children died in JohnstonCounty after being left alone with an electric heater.
Older mobile homes and houses are the most vulnerable, Parker said. "Mostof your older homes are made of wood construction," he said.
Parker said newer homes tended to be more fire resistant, partly due tothe popularity of brick. Mobile homes are now built with more flameretardant materials and they're not as drafty so the fire doesn't spreadas rapidly.
But even with all the advances in materials, Parker said every house wasstill is potential risk. The best advice is to keep the house heaterproperly maintained and install a working smoke detector.
"A lot of them do have smoke detectors, but they're not maintained; thebattery alive and stuff," Parker said.
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