A Sunday fire has left several families without a place to live. It happened in the late morning at 2409 4th Avenue North in Moorhead.
Crews on scene were able to knock it down after about an hour.
The fire department says the cause of the fire was a man smoking with an oxygen machine. It doesn't take long for fire to take off once it's fed with the gas.
The scene was grim Sunday as crews raced to knock down the fire before an entire building went up in flames. What's worse is how the fire started.
Moorhead Fire Chief Rich Duysen says, "By the time you get the extinguisher or you get something to try to put it out with that, the fire's gonna grow so fast if it's near any other combustibles."
Above you will see exactly what happens when fire meets oxygen.
Rich says, "What you're gonna see is the little bit of oxygen. It makes the cigarette glow and makes the wood burn. If something happens on the floor, you take it away, it goes out."
People who use oxygen at home are usually using about 2-4 liters per minute. And the amount a person use determines how fast the fire will go.
"If they're on four liters, and you increase even more, you can it will be just like a mini blow torch. Now if the plastic starts on fire, you can really see it take off," explains Rich.
It can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 3-4 minutes before the fire reaches the oxygen tank and explodes. This is one reason fire deaths from smoking are the leading cause of fire deaths in Minnesota.
To avoid a fire like Sunday's or an even more massive one, there's a clear message to all who smoke while using oxygen.
The Moorhead Fire Chief says, "You gotta take that oxygen out of your nose. You gotta shut the oxygen off. And if you're not gonna think about your own health, think about the health of others around you."
If the risk of death isn't enough, a person could face fines, prison time or both if found to be the one who started the fire through negligence.
Fines could be up to $10,000, and a person could face up to five years in prison if someone is hurt.
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