A firefighter says parents could be putting their kids' lives in danger and they don't even know it.
In a post to Facebook, an officer from Cold Springs Harbor Fire Department in New York has urged parents to make sure their children's bedroom doors are shut at night.
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They say it could be the difference between life and death - to illustrate the point, they posted two pictures of the same door, showing one side charred and blackened by fire damage, next to the other side, which appears relatively unaffected.
The caption reads: "As a parent it's hard to convince little kids to sleep with the door closed, they always want it open just a little. I do a lot of fire prevention at schools, so one thing I try and stress to the kids is how important it is to sleep with the doors closed."
The post continues: "This morning members of New Fairfield's Fire Departments along with mutual aid departments responded to a residential structure fire. The homeowners and family dog are all doing well.
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"The photos below are a great example of the importance of keeping bedroom doors closed while sleeping. The door pictured in both photos is a hollow core door to a bedroom.
"While the front of the door is severely damaged the closed door protected the bedroom and its contents. If this were an occupied bedroom the closed door could have saved a life.
"The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation and believed to be accidental in nature. (Photos shared with homeowners' consent)."
They added: "The first picture is the hallway and the second is from inside the room!"
The shocking photos set off a big discussion in the comments section.
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One person told of how they had narrowly escaped a house fire, posting: "Had a kitchen fire a few years ago. It was put out before it spread but whole house was filled with smoke. Me and my now husband were asleep in our room with our then newborn son. Our room was the only one smoke didn't get to until my brother in law opened the door to tell us to grab the baby and vacate the house til it cleared. I can only imagine if it had spread."
Others thanked the officer for sharing their tip.
One person wrote: "Oh my, what a difference. I can't believe the difference. I never slept with my door fully closed as a child! I do now. Glad you posted this."
Another added: "We will definitely be practicing drills. Very informative post, thank you!
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"We're sleeping with the door closed from now on," wrote a third.
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