The usually relative silence of the Park Heights neighborhood in Baltimore, was shattered this past Friday night by the sirens of about a dozen fire trucks. While most men were just finishing up Maariv, the Baltimore City Fire Department responded to The Windsor House apartment complex, on Park Heights Avenue and Bancroft Rd, for a small stove fire. The fire was thought to have been fully extinguished with no extensions (hadn’t spread).
About 5 – 10 minutes later, the fire department was called back to the scene, as the fire had somehow rekindled. Shortly after their second arrival, fire and smoke could be seen pouring out of one of the 3rd floor apartments. It quickly spread to the adjacent one, causing the fire department to call a second alarm.
The apartment complex is mostly elderly couples, many frum, so most of the residents remained in the lobby. Unfortunately, at least one of the two apartments lost belonged to frum people. A few of the surrounding apartments suffered some smoke and water damage.
Baruch Hashem no one was injured. Although the official cause of the fire is still under investigation, it was believed to have started from an extension of the original stove fire which wasn’t detected the first time the fire department responded.
(This should serve as a reminder that everyone should be extremely careful when leaving food on the stove for Shabbos.)
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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7 Responses
“This should serve as a reminder that everyone should be extremely careful when leaving food on the stove for Shabbos.”
How? Turn it off when leaving the room or house?
to #1: GENIUS! It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out how to be careful when it comes to putting food on the stove. I am not saying these people were negligent, it just shows that you should take extra precautions when putting food on the stove for extended periods of time(i.e. shabbos). I am shocked that someone could be so dumb as to think, that thats what it meant.
While we should try to avoid any chillul shabbos, its ALWAYS preferable to be safe and avoid the risk of fire than to worry about shabbos issues. Thus, if you are leaving the house or going to sleep, and notice that you have left the oven or stove on in a manner that appears unsafe, just turn it off. An rav will tell you after the fact you did the right thing by putting your personal saftey first and not obcessing about shimur shabbos. The next time you will be more careful eruv shabbos so the issue won’t arise again.
If you have an appliance with “Sabbath Mode” learn how to use it!
Gadolhadorah: it is not even February and you are telling April Fool’s jokes. No Rav who follows the Shulchan Aruch could possibly say such a thing (perhaps al yidei akum, but certainly through a maaseh chilul Shabbos and he would not call it obsessing with shmiras Shabbos.
I respectfully disagree and checked with my rav on this issue previously. It is always more important to protect life than worry about a technical violation of one of the avodahs that are assur on shabbos. Pikuach nefesh trumps shabbos. If you see somthing that could start a fire and there is no obvious way to remove the saftey threat (e.g. a shabbos goy or neighbor that might understand your predicament) than just do what needs to be done. The Ebeshter will understand and would much prefer you put your safety (and those of your family and others who live in the building)first.
Gadolhadorah: I believe you are mistaken. Shmiras Shabbos is pretty important. If there is a threat or safek threat to someone’s life then obviously something needs to be done. However, in your example:
“Thus, if you are leaving the house or going to sleep, and notice that you have left the oven or stove on in a manner that appears unsafe, just turn it off.”
…there is no immediate threat to anyone’s life and shmiras shabbos must come first. If it does not look safe to leave unattended… then don’t! Instead, stay there and watch it, and at the first sign of trouble get everyone out of the house or do whatever else is necessary, but don’t be michalel shabbos in advance because you don’t want to be bothered to deal with a situation that you weren’t careful enough to prevent in the first place.