Man Died Trying to Escape New Orleans House Fire

Two people died in two separate fires in New Orleans earlier this month. One fire happened in Monroe and the other occurred in Madison Parish. According to a report at thenewstar.com, the Monroe fire chief reported the fire while on his way to work. He called in the report and fire crews quickly responded to extinguish the blaze. Once firefighters put out the fire, they discovered the victim’s body inside the house.

The Monroe fire chief said that the door to the victim’s house was nailed shut for some reason. Evidence at the scene showed that the victim was trying to escape the flames before he died of burn injuries.

The other fire was an act of arson, according to the state Fire Marshal’s Office. The Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office said that a 42-year-old man died in the fire. The sheriff’s department arrested a 51-year-old woman and charged her with setting the fatal blaze.

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) estimates that approximately 3,500 people die every year in fires and over 18,000 suffer fire-related injuries.

It is fortunate that officials made an arrest in the arson case. The USFA reminds people to make sure they have a planned escape route in the event of a home fire. This past end to Daylight Savings was a reminder to change the batteries in smoke detectors as well.

Do you think the suspected arsonist should get the maximum penalty for starting the fatal fire?

Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans injury lawyers