Towel on Halogen Lamp Caused Vale Circle Fire

No Working Smoke Alarms in Home

City of Madison fire investigators have determined that a house fire Monday at 4425 Vale Circle was caused when a towel draped over a halogen floor lamp ignited. Paramedics transported a 17-year-old male to Meriter Hospital. He had entered the bedroom where the fire started in an attempt to extinguish the fire with a bucket of water. He was treated and released. The 17-year-old was visiting a friend who lives in the home. The two were downstairs when they smelled smoke and saw it coming from the bedroom. Firefighters located the fire on the second floor of the two-story, single family home, quickly extinguishing the fire with a water extinguisher, and preventing it from reaching the attic. There were no working smoke alarms in the home. The fire caused smoke damage throughout the second floor, with light smoke damage on the first floor. Damages are estimated at $20,000. Halogen lights have a higher risk of fire than regular incandescent lights or fluorescent lights. Halogen lights are a type of incandescent light that provides 8% more lumens (more light) per watt than regular incandescent lights. The City of Madison Fire Department reminds residents: - Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, in each bedroom, and outside each bedroom. - Test your smoke alarms every month. - Make an escape plan and have a fire drill to practice your plan. - When the alarm sounds, get out and stay out. - After you have escaped, call 9-1-1 from a safe place. - Never go back inside the building for any reason.