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An Error During a Bedbug Heat Treatment Destroys a Two-Family HomeA two-family home is destroyed by fire during a bedbug remediation heat treatment provided by R.S. Tyree Pest Control. The recent fire and many others in the past raise the issue of the need best practices related to heat treatments. Monday May 23 2011 @ 12:04 PM Source:Cincinnati.comA two-family home in Carthage, Ohio was recently destroyed during a bedbug remediation heat treatment. This recent fire has and many others in the past should serve to raise the issue of whether or not best practices are needed specifically for heat treatments.
The heat treatment was delivered by R.S. Tyree Pest Control & Bed Bug Be Gone using a propane convection heating units intended to raise the structure’s temperature to 135 degrees F. six and a half hours.
Pest control operator, Richard Tyree speculates that during the course of the treatment an equipment malfunction cause the fire:
“As far as I know, we had an equipment malfunction,” Tyree said. “It can happen. It’s very unfortunate, (but) we’re not a company that runs from a problem.”
Tyree said that until Sunday, his company, Carthage-based R.S. Tyree Pest Control & Bed Bug Be Gone, never had an issue with the treatment, which he finds more effective than chemical methods. To kill the bed bugs, he uses propane convection heaters to raise a home’s temperature to 135 degrees. He requires residents to leave during the 6½-hour treatment and removes any flammable items from the home. “We do up to 20, 25 apartments at the same time,” Tyree said. “We’ve never had a problem.” —excerpts @Cincinnati.com
According to Cincinnati Fire District Chief Glenn Coleman, the living room carpet caught fire which went unnoticed for a period of time that allowed the home to be engulfed in flames until visible from the exterior. Periodic inspections during the process may have prevented to the fire from becoming such a devastating event.
This fire and many others like it raise issues about the need for best practices guidelines when conducting heat treatment. This has not been the first fire caused by heat remediation and unfortunately it won’t be the last.
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