Striking photos show importance of closing bedroom doors in case of fire

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) -Closing your bedroom door could save your life if there’s a fire in your home. The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is sharing that reminder after seeing the impact of closed doors first hand.

”I have friends in the neighborhood and they had called me and said hey I think your mom’s house might be on fire,” said Nicolette Taft of Ankeny. Her childhood home caught fire last October in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Taft says no one was home at the time of the fire but pictures show how closed doors protected the bedrooms.

“When we came back to Cedar Rapids you know that’s where we stayed. You know and that makes you really think if the kids had been in that room you know there would have been a chance,” said Taft.

The two dogs that were inside her mother’s bedroom survived.

It’s an example the Cedar Rapids Fire Department is using to remind people to ‘close before you doze.’

“Sleeping with your doors closed is absolutely the safest option,” said Sydney Wright, Public Education Specialist at Cedar Rapids Fire Department.

It can buy you more time to get out.

“We’ve all filled our home with synthetic materials, we used to have probably about 10 minutes to escape a home fire and now that’s only 2 minutes,” Wright explained.

She says people should have working smoke alarms in and near bedrooms, and an escape plan. Remember to ‘get low and go’ to avoid smoke, and always close your doors when you sleep.

“I mean that fire was right up that hallway and those doors yes were charred but behind those doors you could still see the paint, you could still see the boxes, the toys,” Taft said.

The fire department says unattended cooking is the number one cause for fires. Next week is fire prevention week. They’ll be hosting an open house at the central fire station on October 13th from 6-8 p.m. There will be fun activities for kids and tips on how to keep safe.

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