Marion house fire kills mother and child

MARION — Three people have been killed in two separate house fires in the Pee Dee in the past three days.

A Marion woman and her 5-year-old daughter died Monday after an early morning fire at their home that was caused by an overloaded extension cord.

The fire happened about 4:30 a.m. at 600 Jones Ave., Marion County Coroner Jerry Richardson said.

Teleta Baldwin, 25, and Zayreaya Baldwin were taken to a local hospital where they died of smoke inhalation just after 6 a.m.

An official on the scene said two other children, boys aged 7 and 9, were in the home and able to escape the flames. They, too were taken to the hospital and are fine, Richardson said.

Firefighters responded to the fire shortly after 4 a.m., Marion Assistant Fire Chief Trey Cooper said. The fire did not fully engulf the residence.

Stephanie Foxworth, Baldwin’s mother-in-law, said everything was fine when she spoke with Baldwin on Sunday night.

“She seemed happy, OK,” she said. “She had went off yesterday and she was excited about where she had went.”

Foxworth said she never thought she would lose her daughter-in-law and granddaughter in a house fire.

“I got a phone call that their house was on fire. That’s how we found out,” she said.

Foxworth said the family members will rely on their faith to survive their grief.

“(With) prayer. We’re gonna get through. We gonna make it,” she said.

Funeral arangements will be announced by Jackson & McGill Funeral Service of Marion.

Cooper said the fire has been ruled accidental and the investigation is over.

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire that killed a McColl man on Saturday remains undetermined.

Sam Arnette of 323 Railroad Ave., McColl, died in that fire at his home, Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown said.

McColl Police Chief Tommy Langley said officers responded to the blaze, which happened about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, but don’t believe it was intentionally set.

State Law Enforcement Division’s arson team was asked to investigate the fire as a precaution, Langley said.

As temperatures begin to drop outside, the number of house fires begins to increase, local fire officials say.

Statistics show the incidence of house fires increases during the winter holiday season, fueled in part by holiday decorations, candles and Christmas trees, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Fires caused by candles increase fourfold during the holidays, the U.S. Fire Administration said. Two hundred house fires occur where Christmas trees are the initial source of ignition each year.

Heating equipment is the second leading cause of house fires in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association. In December, January and February, it is the leading cause.

Linda Boone-Smith, executive director of the Pee Dee Red Cross chapter, said the incidence of house fires also tends to increase in areas where unemployment is high, and the Pee Dee has been no exception. A weekend ago, the Red Cross responded to six house fires in the Pee Dee and helped the 27 people who suffered the losses.

The Pee Dee Chapter of the American Red Cross offers assistance to victims of house fires in Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion and Marlboro counties. The number of house fires, however, has depleted the chapter’s disaster relief fund.

Helping one family alone can cost the local Red Cross about $10,000.

The Pee Dee chapter, like all other Red Cross chapters across the country, is a humanitarian organization that rely entirely on local funding. The Red Cross receives no funding from state or federal governments.

The Red Cross has designated Saturday as National Day of Giving for the American Red Cross. The event is part of its efforts to reach the $100 million fundraising goal for the Campaign for Disaster Relief, which the organization launched in September.

Call the Pee Dee Chapter at (843) 662-8121 ext. 120 or (800) 273-3073 ext. 120 for donation information, or mail donations to The American Red Cross, Pee Dee Chapter, 1601-A W. Lucas St., Florence, SC 29501.

Some holiday and winter fire safety tips:

• Avoid overloading electrical outlets.

• Use only nonflammable decorations that are placed away from heat vents and, if using an artificial tree, make sure it’s flame retardant.

• Select a fresh Christmas tree and keep it in water at all times. Needles on fresh trees should be green and should not fall off easily.

• Avoid using candles.

• Maintain holiday lights.

• Don’t place lights on damaged roofs or on blue roofs.

• Make a fire safety plan and escape route, and practice it.

• Always keep space heaters away from curtains and other flammable materials. Never leave space heaters operating in unoccupied rooms, and shut them off before going to sleep.

• Electric space heaters should be checked each season for fraying or splitting wires and overheating.

• Never use gasoline or any other substitute fuel in a liquid-fueled space heater because the wrong fuel could burn hotter than the equipment’s design limits and cause a fire. When refueling, always turn off the heater and let it cool down before adding fuel. Wipe up any spills promptly. Store fuel away from heat or open flame in a container approved by the local fire department, and be sure it is clearly marked with the fuel name.

• Install a smoke alarm on every floor of your home. Check the batteries once a month, and change the batteries at least twice a year.

• Install guards around fireplaces, radiators, pipes and wood-burning stoves.

• Have chimneys professionally inspected before the start of every heating season and cleaned if necessary. Using a sturdy screen when burning fires. Remember to burn only wood, never paper or pine boughs, which can float out the chimney and ignite the roof or a neighboring home. Never use flammable liquids in a fireplace.

• Be wood or coal stoves bear the label of a recognized testing laboratory and meet local fire codes. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for proper installation, use and maintenance. Chimney connections and chimney flues should be inspected at the beginning of each heating season and cleaned periodically. Follow the same safety rules for wood stoves as you would for space heaters. Burn only wood, and be sure the wood stove is placed on an approved stove board to protect the floor from heat and hot embers.

• Keep fire extinguishers where they are most likely to be needed and keep matches out of children’s reach.

For additional safety tips, visit www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/firetips.html, www.usfa.fema.gov/safety or http://firesafety.buffnet.net/winter.htm online or contact your local fire department.