Fatal fire caused by space heater
The scene Thursday morning, as investigators pour over the remains of a fatal house fire.
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Updated: November 06, 2009 11:54 AM
By Neil Corbett
Mission Record
The man who died in a Mission house fire on Thursday morning has been identified as 40-year-old Michael Sedore.
Mission Fire/Rescue Chief Ian Fitzpatrick was the first on scene when the fire call came in at about 6:11 a.m., for a residence at 8778 Cedar Ave., at the intersection of Cedar and Tunbridge.
"There were already flames shooting out the front door and the big living room window," when Fitzpatrick arrived, he said.
The house was rented by a couple, and Sedore was staying with them. The woman of the house got out, and secured the safety of approximately 20 dogs at the property. She suffered burns on her arms, and is in intensive care at Vancouver General Hospital. Her husband was not home, having left for work earlier that morning.
Sedore was in a back bedroom. Passersby attempted to rescue him with a ladder, but could not get to him. By the time firefighters got him out of the house and in the care of paramedics, he had already succumbed.
Although originally reported to be suspicious in nature, the fire investigation determined that the blaze was caused by a space heater in the living room.
Fitzpatrick said fire fatalities have become rare, and this is the first he has seen since becoming chief in Mission almost three years ago.
"When you look at tragedies like this, they are preventable," he said, adding that people should be careful with the placement of space heaters, and should not leave them on overnight.
"A free-standing space heater on thick pile carpet can be dangerous," said the chief.
- Fitzpatrick said it was an emotitional day for firefighters. In the midst of the fatal fire call, they received a call about a three-month-old baby that went into cardiac arrest. He believes the child survived.
He said the day's events called for a critical incidence stress debriefing, with the help of professionals, to help the firefighters cope.
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