Nationwide, eight of 10 fire deaths occur in the home. Carbon monoxide detectors are readily available in stores. The blinds could be plastic. Vinyl floor covering. A lot of furniture has this stuffing in it.
Plastics ignite at a low temperature and can burn quickly.
They give out a toxic smoke, and it's a dark, black smoke. Another potential problem, he said, is that homes are built with lighter and smaller materials. Now it's much smaller. The smaller a piece of wood, the faster it burns. Balloon framing allowed for cheaper and faster construction, according to the McAlesters, by eliminating the need for hand hewing of the principal wall timbers.