Apartment Fire caused by Heat Treatment -July 12th, 2011

The cause of the fire has been reportedly caused by the direct-fired propane heater set on the balcony along with 2 - 100 lbs. propane tanks to supply the fuel. Thermotech does not use any propane fired heaters of any type. We use two types of heaters to apply the Thermapure Heat process and everything is Diesel fired. The first heater we use for homes or apartments up to 3 stories is an in-direct fired heater that has the heat chamber in the unit and forces fresh air past the heat exchanger. The hot air is then forced into the structure to heat the structure to the required temperature to kill all forms of the pest. The second heater style we use is an electric heater that is triple protected for over heating and also fused against any electrical shorts. This is like using an extremely large hair dryer. All the power for these heaters is supplied by a diesel fuelled generator placed near the structure and connected by large extension cords.

This was an unfortunate occurrence and our hearts go out to the injured and the displaced residence but Thermotech has been treating structures for the last 3 years without any incidents. Thermotech uses only safe equipment to prevent any occurrence of flame inside he structure and along with properly trained employees results in a high safe success rate.

Terminology - Direct Fired heater - the flame is in the incoming air path which forces all the exhaust and the heat into the structure.
                        In-Direct Fired Heater - The flame is confined in a heat exchanger and air is forced passed the heat exchanger into the structure. All the exhaust is vented outside. This is very similar to the furnace in your house but on a larger scale.

This information was copied from the Edmonton Journal Website.

EDMONTON - A heater being used to exterminate bed bugs caused the major fire at a downtown apartment building last week, officials confirmed Monday.
The heater was fuelled by a propane tank. The fire started when the heater ignited combustible material in a fourth-floor suite.
Four people from the same family were injured during the fire at the four-storey Royal Scot apartment building at 105th Avenue and 92nd Street on July 12.
Residents reported hearing an explosion during the blaze, which about 60 firefighters battled.
Damage estimates are up by $1 million since last week, now totalling $4.5 million.

lcuthbertson@edmontonjournal.com

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