Furniture Fire:
Attorneys for Investigation and Lawsuit

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Funiture Fire Settlement

Our fire attorneys obtained one of the nation’s largest settlements for victims of an upholstered furniture fire, almost $3 million dollars.

Couch Fire Here’s what happened. Shortly after seven in the morning, a young father left for work. His three children and their mother were asleep. Although no one knows for sure, it’s believed that one of the youngsters got up early and began playing with a butane lighter. He touched the lighter to the newly-purchased upholstered sofa. In a second it ignited. In a few more moments the sofa was in flames and toxic smoke poured into the small apartment. Within fewer than five minutes gas and super-heated air overcame the mother and her children. The mother and her oldest son died. The little girl suffered a severe brain damage and will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life. The youngest boy suffered respiratory injuries but eventually made a full recovery.

If you were injured or a loved one was injured or killed in a furniture fire, a lawyer at Pritzker Olsen law firm is available for a free consultation. To contact an attorney, please call toll free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm's online consultation form.

Information on Furniture Fire Prevention

Notice: – The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recently approved new flammability standards for mattresses.

Unless you’ve seen flammability tests, you cannot imagine the lethality of an upholstered furniture fire. Here’s a sobering fact: Each day two people die as a result of residential furniture fires. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 55 people die per month in fires where upholstered furniture is the first item ignited. Sources of ignition include cigarettes, matches, lighters and candles. Furniture often involved in a furniture fire include a sofa or couch, upholstered chair, or bed.

The sad thing is that prison inmates have safer furniture than most households. That’s because furniture safety standards are tougher for institutions than they are for households. California is the only state to require similar protection for domestic furniture. The lack of a national safety standard is a shocking example of Congressional indifference in the face of a national calamity.

Here’s what the National Association of State Fire Marshals has to say about this menace lurking in most homes:

Consumers need to know their furniture is flammable. The foam used in cushions is shipped to furniture manufacturers with warnings that include language like this: FLAMMABLE! If ignited, polyurethane foam can burn rapidly, releasing great heat and consuming oxygen. The resulting deficiency of oxygen will present a danger of SUFFOCATION AND DEATH to the occupants.
Furniture manufacturers have refused to warn consumers about the dangers of their products. They also have refused to voluntarily take simple measures to make their products less flammable. Only a handful of furniture retailers sell products that meet the California standards nationwide.

There are some things you can do to protect your family. Here are upholstered furniture safety tips from the NASFM:

Most cigarette fires involve dropping a hot cigarette on upholstered furniture, beds or clothing. A lit cigarette can smolder for 20-30 minutes before igniting anything. Check furniture where smokers have been sitting for unintentionally dropped smoking materials.
Never smoke reclining in upholstered furniture or in bed.
Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers, and place ashtrays on sturdy surfaces. Do not place ashtrays on the arms of furniture, where they can be knocked over.
The combination of smoking and drinking alcohol can be fatal. Keep an eye on intoxicated smokers.
Keep lighters and matches out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. Teach children that when they find a lighter or matches they should give them to an adult. Use child-resistant lighters.
Be sure space heaters are at least three feet away from upholstered furniture, drapes and everything else.
Do not allow furniture to come into contact with halogen lamps or any electrical appliance.
Demand furniture that complies with California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 117 standards when purchasing upholstered pieces for your home. Outside of California, you have to ask for it specially. This should not cost any extra.

In California, furniture is required to comply with flammability safety standard Technical Bulletin 117. But many furniture manufacturers choose not to comply with those safety standards for furniture sold outside of California. The following national retailers have stated to the National Association of State Fire Marshals that they sell only upholstered furniture compliant with the California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 117 safety standards:

HomeLife Furniture
IKEA
JC Penney
Norwalk Furniture
Rowe
Spiegel
Harden Furniture
La-Z-Boy Residential
Macy’s West (in Arizona, California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas)

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Read more information on fires and explosions provided by Minneapolis, Minnesota, burn injuries lawyers. We serve clients throughout the United States.

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Furniture Fire: Attorneys for Investigation and Lawsuit