Family Of 5 Displaced By Fire

A family of five was displaced Tuesday morning when a kitchen fire started at a stove and spread into a microwave and kitchen cabinets.

According to Chief Scott Mann, with the West Sebring Volunteer Fire Department, the fire was called in just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. He was the first on the scene.

Three adults and two children escaped from a rental home at 303 Corvette Ave., in Sebring. The father, William Tran, got up in the night for a drink of water and smelled smoke. At some point Tran got a pot of water and doused the fire.

He woke his wife, Lieu Lui, and sons Jack, 16, and Wayne, 5, as well as a cousin, David Duong, 29, the family got out safely.

Mann said when he arrived the family was already outside and there was smoke inside. His fire engine arrived a few minutes later.

"We ventilated the structure and used a TIC, thermal imaging camera," said Mann, to detect if there were any hot spots inside the walls.

"The stove was removed. The fire caused moderate damage to the kitchen cabinets, the microwave and the stove."

Mann said the fire appeared to be caused by an unknown electrical problem.

Red Cross volunteers received word at 2 a.m. and responded immediately, providing the family with temporary shelter at a local hotel, emergency assistance for groceries, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), and odor-control concentrate to help salvage items from inside the home.

American Red Cross Service Director Art Harriman said he arrived on scene about 40 minutes later. The family, who are Vietnamese, told him they went out for dinner for their New Year's celebration and said they did not cook, Harriman said.

According to Phil Attinger, public information officer with the Polk County American Red Cross chapter, home fires are still the most common local disaster for Red Cross volunteers, and are often the most deadly.

"Fires happen for a variety of reasons, but people can reduce their chances of having a fire by using all precaution with space heaters, cigarettes, and kitchen appliances; maintaining smoke detector batteries; and practicing fire prevention and escape plans to ensure everyone escapes a fire safely," Attinger wrote.

Information on preventing home fires is online at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org. People may also contact the Highlands County office in person at 106 Medical Center Ave. in Sebring, or by phone at 863-386-4440, or online at hcarc@vistanet.net .