Officials say an indoor sprinkler system saved a man in a wheelchair after a fire started. The man, who’s in his 50s, had been sitting in his wheelchair, smoking and using an oxygen machine, the St. Paul Fire Department says in a Facebook post. He dozed off, and around 5:30 a.m. his oxygen tubing caught on fire. The blaze spread, igniting a nearby recliner. Fire alarms sounded, but the man was stuck, officials say. Without help, he could not escape.
When responders arrived, they say the man was sitting right next to the burning recliner, unable to move. But right above the recliner was an indoor fire sprinkler – and it’s the reason the man is still alive.
The St.Paul Fire Department says if it wasn’t for the nearby sprinkler keeping the fire from spreading, the man could have been seriously injured or killed. Thanks to the safety system, he got away with only “mild smoke inhalation.” According to the fire department, the sprinklers are 96 percent successful in controlling or extinguishing a fire.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
