Burglar bars examined in fatal Texas fire

By Lisa Braxton

Houston fire officials say that burglar bars made it difficult to get inside a home that caught fire last week. Two adults and a child died as a result of the blaze. According to click2houston.com, Donovan Johnson, 36, was trapped in the house and died at the scene. His pregnant fiancé, Tera Miles, 27, and her three-year-old daughter, Jah’ Niyah Walker, were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.

“We had some access problems,” said Senior Capt. Ruy Lozano of Houston Fire Department. “The structure had burglar bars all over, although it does keep crime out, it also keeps people in.”

The escape planning section of NFPA’s website has the Clear Your Escape Routes brochure in English and Spanish on how to be safe without hindering escaping or being rescued in a fire.

Details are included on hurricane shutters, padlocks, plastic insulation, and security bars that come with a quick release mechanism.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source:: NFPA – Safety Information