Letter: Carpentersville fire a reminder to check basement windows, exit routes

In light of the recent fire deaths of three small brothers in Carpentersville, please check your safety exit windows and the grates covering the window wells to make sure they are not rusted shut and are functional. This is a easy to overlook item. Last spring, my husband and I were trying to move garden equipment from the basement to the patio via the safety window. The window was very hard to open due to corrosion and the hinges of the outside grate covering the window well were covered over by new siding. If there had been a fire, we would not have been able to escape.

Make sure older children know how to use the safety window. Also, if your dryer is in the basement, clean the lint trap and tubing. Thank you for reading this.

Julie Jette

Cary