Christmas Blaze Leaves 5 Dead and 2 with Serious Burn Injuries

On early Christmas morning, a fire blaze happened at a house in Stanford, Connecticut which left 5 family members killed and 2 more with serious burn injuries.

It was supposed to be a happy family reunion on Christmas day. Grandpa and grandma visited their daughter who has three kids to spend the holidays together. Bonding together with their three granddaughters might be one of the most exciting days for the old couple. But then it all turned it to be a tragic one.

The fire which erupted at around 5 AM at the Shippan Point neighborhood reached the third alarm. Both the grandfather and grandmother who just visited the family for Christmas died from the fire together with their three grandchildren. The three children who died were 7-year-old twins and a one-year-old, whom are all girls. The children’s mother, Madonna Badger, and one male acquaintance survived the incident. Both sustained serious burn injuries but were expected to have a full recovery soon.

The Reuters report said that the firefighters attempted to rescue the trapped victims but to no avail. Rescuers were pushed back by the towering fire and heat.

At present, the cause of the fire is not yet determined and according to fire investigators, it would take several days up to a week before finally concluding the fire’s main source.

It is the worst Christmas Day the family had. Maybe it would be more acceptable if the whole family only sustained burn injury, but unfortunately, five of the family members were killed leaving Badger alone. Definitely, Christmas wouldn’t be merry for Badger this time.

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5 Killed in an Aviation Accident in Texas

Though airplanes are considered safer to ride than any other land vehicles, traveling in a bad weather condition may put the passengers’ lives at risk and may even lead to their death. Just take this incident as an example.

A family riding in a small plane from Jackson, Mississippi bounded to Waco Texas crashed killing its five members.

According to CBS News, the six – seater piper plane crashed in Brazos County and killed five family members including two minors last Monday at around 10’oclock in the evening.

The weather forecast during that time said that parts of northwest Texas have suffered from heavy snow, indicated overcast skies and that the storm may have been moving through the area.

Authorities say it’s not clear if bad weather condition is a factor in this aviation accident.

Reports said that the pilot contacted the Forth Worth tower and was instructed on how to avoid the rough weather. However, the plane flew in the opposite direction instead.

Two males, one female and two minors were killed in the said plane crash. It was confirmed by the authorities who conducted the investigation that that casualties were all family members.

Aviation accidents happen less often than accidents that occur on land. However, the surprising fact here is that number of fatalities in aviation accidents is greater since there is always a possibility that all the plane’s passengers will be at risk during an accident.

The most common causes of aviation accidents are mechanical malfunction, pilot errors or negligence and of course, bad weather condition.

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US Coast Guard Prefers another Course of Action to Avoid Boat Accidents

The US Coast Guard adopts strategic course of action in order to avoid boat accidents. The agency is now setting a new legal capacity limit on boats.

In relation to the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, the US Coast Guard has come up with ways to avoid boat accidents resulting from overweighting boat passengers. The agency is now working to recalculate formulas related to boat weight capacity limit by using heavier weights.

Just like vehicles and planes, boats are also required to follows safety codes associated with the maximum capacity limit they can carry. The capacity limit is formulated using a number representing the average weight of a passenger. This number is commonly referred as the Assumed Average Weight Per Person or AWWAPP by the US Department of Homeland Security.

Before, the AAWPP is approximately 150 pounds, therefore if a boat has 3,000 pounds maximum capacity, the legal number of person it can carry is 20.

Now, the problem is, many Americans weigh more than 150 pounds. Because of this, the Coast Guard had seen a need to adjust the AAWPP from 150 to 185 pounds. Meaning, a boat with a maximum capacity of 3,000 pounds can only carry 16 passengers.

The new AAWP will be 185 pounds, and the said amendment to the federal guidelines for boat capacities will be effective beginning December 1, 2011 in order to adapt to the reality of today’s passengers’ weight.

Despite the fact that this new amendment will lessen the legal number of passengers allowed to board a boat, the boat owners as well as the travelers also need to accept the changes.

Every year, between 600 and 800 people in the country are killed from boat accidents. This new amendment aims to lessen the risk of boat accidents.

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Overnight Fire in Brownsville Left Man with Serious Burn Injury

As of present, the main cause of an overnight fire in Brownsville is still undetermined.
According to witnesses, there was a blaze before the fire spread. A neighbor came to help and called the firefighters.

Firemen said that the man sustained third degree burns to half of his body and is now being treated at San Antonio burn center, while the man’s wife escaped the fire without having any serious personal injury. Aside from them, several cats and dogs living in the house were trapped in the fire also.

The firefighters are still conducting an investigation about the main cause of the blaze. The home had no running water and electricity since the family who owned the house uses generators for powering the house. Therefore the firemen found it difficult to figure out the source of fire.

About three quarters of patients with serious burn injury die because of severe infection. The most common complication for a burn injury is the bacterial infection. Therefore, a necessary transfer from the emergency physician to a special department for reconstructive surgery should be conducted by the authorities to prevent infection.

Apart from the first aid treatment, patients should be provided with proper wound care, therapies and other necessary psychiatric treatment in a special follow up ward.

Though the man was able to survive the fire blaze, it’s still uncertain if he would be able to survive from the serious burn injuries he sustained. Wounds might be simple but the bacteria causing the infections may cause death. He should be extra careful. Following the proper authorities’ campaign against infection is a must.

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