Many people are afraid of being victims of crime.
This fear has forced many residents, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, to become prisoners in their own homes, living behind iron bars and gates to protect them against intruders. What they often don't realize is they may be trapping themselves in a life-threatening fire. Most security bars are permanently installed on windows and cannot be opened to allow escape in case of an emergency. Despite a downward trend in overall fire deaths, the number of fire deaths related to illegal security bars is on the rise. In April 1997, nine family members died in a house fire in E. Palo Alto, California.