At this time of year, many college students head home for the summer to live with their parents. Some work summer jobs before heading back to school. Graduates often stay at home until they land that first job and can afford to pay their own rent.
During the recession and in the early stages of the tepid recovery, many young adults moved back home or bunked with friends because of unemployment or underemployment. In some cases, the best available living quarters were in attic or basement rooms retrofitted as makeshift apartments. Too often, safety was an afterthought.
Since November, St. Paul firefighters have responded to three house fires in which people were trapped in basement bedrooms — without a second exit.
Occupants survived in two of those fires, but a man died in the November blaze on N. Lexington Avenue.
In the wake of those fires, local fire officials reminded the public that it is illegal to have basement bedrooms without regulation safety exits. Under state and local housing codes, if anyone is sleeping in the below-ground level of a home, there must be a second door or window large enough for them to escape in case of fire.
It's a smart safety rule that too many homeowners ignore — and at their own peril. Human error or neglect cause almost all residential blazes, according to fire officials. Common causes include failing to blow out a candle, forgetting something on the stove or overloading electrical outlets. So, as fire safety experts say, any structure where there are people is at risk for fire. St. Paul Fire Department investigator Jamie Novak told the Star Tribune that many people are unaware of the escape-window requirement, while others go without to avoid the expense of adding egress windows. At the very least, there should be a smoke detector in every bedroom and on every level of a home, he said.
"It's one of the most frustrating things,'' Novak added. "We have the technology that only costs a few bucks, and too many people still don't use it. We go in after fires and find out the homeowner has smoke detectors — but they're in a drawer someplace, or the battery ran down. Or people take them down when they paint and forget to put them back up.''
Another safety precaution that all homeowners, landlords and renters should take is to identify escape routes from each room in their buildings — including basements — and routinely have fire drills.
