LANTERN STARTS FIRE DURING POWER OUTAGE
And in a related story, during last night’s power outage, a resident on Sunflower in the Sunfair area of Joshua Tree, brought a gas lantern into the house about 7 p.m. Shortly after, the vapors from the lantern caught fire. The resident managed to bring the lantern over to the kitchen sink, at which time the overhead sprinklers in the kitchen started going off. Due to the sprinklers, the fire was out by the time that Joshua Tree firefighters arrived on the scene. There were no injuries. Captain Steve Lasiter reminds residents that gas- and kerosene powered lanterns are meant for outdoor use only, because, as this story illustrates, their fumes will catch fire when confined inside a structure. And, he added, “Sprinklers save lives.”
