Fire investigator explains how a little girl's bedroom remained untouched by house fire

From kitchen stoves to scented candles, there are many ways a home can bear the risk of being damaged in fire accidents. Even at houses with full-scale electrical and electronic fittings like induction cooktops, electric fireplaces, etc., sparking a flame is inevitable. So, while the elimination of combustion at home is not completely possible, it is up to the residents to take adequate precautions to prevent a fire and stop its spreading too. This viral video posted by fire investigator Erik Cole—who goes by @medic_cole on TikTok—is an eye-opener for everyone, particularly for parents who keep their kids' bedroom doors open at night.

At the beginning of Cole's video, a spotless kids' bedroom with pink and white decor can be seen. From its color and looks, it is understood that it belonged to a little girl. However, what came next is nothing short of astonishing. Cole turns the camera around the room and when the doorway appears, we can see the streaks of ash stains on the white door. As he goes further into the hallway, the aftermath of a tragic fire is revealed. The fire investigator captioned the video, "Remember to close bedroom doors before sleeping for the night, it could make a big difference," indicating that since the little girl's door was closed during the night, the fire barely touched the room while the rest of the house was an absolute mess.

Cole's video reached close to 14M views, with more than 5K comments, some of which were from concerned parents. @mrsghostcarrickfergus related to Cole's suggestion, writing, "33 years ago, our house went on fire. If the living room door had been closed, it wouldn't have destroyed the whole house." Several users responded with their qualms about keeping their doors or their kids' room doors closed at night. @loganmandile commented, "I always keep my door open. I’m afraid I won’t hear my kids being kidnapped." @floweislek, jokingly wrote, "It’s simply amazing the amount of people that can see this over and over and still come up with an excuse to not close doors."

The text displayed on the video, "Close before you doze!" is a slogan that the Underwriters Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research Institute came up with. Daniel Madrzykowski, Director of Research at this institution, told the New York Times that since fire feeds on oxygen, keeping the doors open can ultimately act as a fuel pump for the already-growing flames. Closing the doors can cut off the air supply and curb the spreading of fire, thus making it easier for firefighters to extinguish it before it causes large-scale damage.

Similarly, Shanya Gill, a 12-year-old prodigy, recently developed an innovative fire detection system that won a prestigious award. Her inspiration came from an unfortunate fire accident that destroyed an entire restaurant in her locality in 2022. Since the failure of the restaurant's smoke detector was the key reason for the damage, Gill ensured that the system could distinguish between people and other heat sources. "It was because they detected fires too late because they had to wait for smoke to rise," said Gill. No matter how many inventions may come up, it is the pivotal role of people to stick to fire safety precautions at home and the workplace.