Decoration or fire hazard?
Todd W. Koch
Firefighter/EMT-D
LaCrosse (WI) Fire Department
You see suncatchers in many residences and hospital/nursing homes–people collect them as window ornaments. They`re pieces of thick glass or crystal that are about 14- or 12-inch thick that may have pictures or words on them. Sunlight passes through them, and the rays are displayed on the walls. They might be popular decorations, but some are also fire hazards. A recent call in our city brought this to our attention. On investigation, we found more than a dozen of these suncatchers hanging on the south window of the living room of a residence. Below that window was a sofa, and on the sofa`s top was a burn pattern about six inches long and two inches wide. A smaller burn pattern was in front of this one–about three inches by one inch. Both burn patterns had burned through the sofa covering and down to the polyurethane foam cushion. The suncatcher magnified the sunlight and acted as the ignition source, heating up the polyurethane foam and burning the sofa`s thin cloth covering. We see these decorations quite often. Maybe they are overlooked, so let`s keep this case in mind the next time you have ruled out all the other ignition sources.
Suncatchers are popular, but I wonder if people realize their potential hazard. If you have them in your home, make sure that there aren`t any combustibles in their path, and give more thought to where they are placed.
