Closing Your Bedroom Door: A Matter Of Life Or Death

Gretchen Pucklavage | Writer

What if you were told that closing your bedroom door at night could save your life? Within a few minutes a fire can spread throughout an entire house, and having your door closed could literally mean the difference between life and death.

"Normal doors in a house will give up to an hour of protection from flame," said James Connely, Tamaqua Fire Chief.

According to Chief Connely, as a fire burns it releases toxic fumes that could take 2-10 minutes to kill you. Closing your bedroom door can reduce these toxic fumes, reduce the temperature in your room, increase oxygen in your room, and slow fire growth. Without closing your door at night, these toxic fumes will be able to flow right into your room and can kill you in your sleep.

The pictures that accompany this story show house fires where one bedroom was destroyed due to the door being open, while the other bedroom was nearly untouched because the bedroom door was closed.

“Close your door when you go to bed, it will give you the best chance for survival if there is a fire,” said Chief Connely.

In addition to closing bedroom doors, Chief Connely says that every bedroom, as well as every level of living quarters, should have a smoke detector.

Minutes count when a house fire begins to burn, and being prepared can save your life.