Local

84-year-old woman, great-granddaughter escape Gaston Co. house fire

DALLAS, N.C. — An 84-year-old woman and her great-granddaughter escaped a fire that filled their home Thursday afternoon in Gaston County.

Seven to eight different fire departments were called out to Propst Road in Dallas to battle the two-alarm fire.

Chopper 9 flew over the scene and saw flames shooting out of the house.

The great-granddaughter saw bedbugs and sprayed rubbing alcohol on the bed in hopes of killing the insects.

Firefighters are investigating if that was the cause of the blaze that started in that room.

No one was injured.

"It seems benign because it is a home product that probably 99 percent of your viewers have used,” said Gaston County Fire Marshal Eric Hendrix.

Rubbing alcohol is used to treat wounds, but Channel 9 searched online and found that many pest control companies advise using rubbing alcohol to eliminate bed bugs.

Moments after the rubbing alcohol was poured on the bed, fumes ignited.

"Once you put it in that vapor state all you need is that ignition and there you go," Hendrix said.

Hendrix poured some rubbing alcohol in a pan as a demonstration, created a spark and produced fire.

Hendrix said the spark could have come from switching off the lights or from an electronic arc flickering from a device in a tiny space.

Hendrix said the spark could have come from switching off the lights or from an electronic arc flickering from a device in a tiny space.

"It's a brief second, a split second, but it's enough to ignite the vapors,” Hendrix said.

Expert exterminator Joe Campbell said rubbing alcohol isn't enough to get rid of bed bugs.

"It will solve a problem right then,” Campbell said.

Campbell said it only kills the bugs it touches.

"They can hide in electrical outlets, behind the pictures in the frames,” Campbell said. “They can (hide) in wood frames of your beds where you are not even looking for them."

Hendrix said best to hire someone to kill bed bugs.

“DIY is a great thing, but sometimes you probably need to ask a professional,” Hendrix said.

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