The Big Easy got a little hotter last month as 43 New Orleans firefighters extinguished a blaze at a house in Lakeview, according to nola.com. Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time of the fire. Around 5:30 a.m., someone reported flames coming from the house. Fire crews arrived to see the house engulfed in flames and quickly spreading to nearby structures.
In all, the fire destroyed the unoccupied house and damaged six nearby buildings. Officials are yet to determine a cause for the fire and it remains under investigation.
Even with recent rains, New Orleans remains a hot spot for fires in the summertime. Fire experts say that an average house fire can reach a temperature of 1,100 degrees in just over three minutes. Witnesses can feel that type of intense heat up to a block away. It takes more fire personnel and equipment to battle a fire in the summertime, and more crews are susceptible to burn injuries.
One fire official commented that it takes about double the amount of personnel to fight a fire in the summertime. Add the heavy equipment that firefighters wear, and it takes more time to extinguish a fire due to the heat and humidity.
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans injury attorneys