Sunday night, an 8 year-old died in a house fire in Altoona.

Pat Miles asked his local Altoona Fire Department if they would give his neighborgood a fire safety talk.

“We’re obviously very saddened to hear of the loss of the little boy, and you know it truly just hits home where you realize that we haven’t as a family sat down and put a plan together to exit our house if anything would happen,” Miles, said.

Families practiced social distancing with masks, while fire fighters gave children and families, tips, like making sure smoke alarms are in all bedrooms and hallways and that doors are closed.

“That little bedroom door that you have, even the cheapest of doors that you can get will hold a fire behind it for up to 30 minutes,” Michael Hawksworth, Captain for the Altoona Fire Department, said.

Captain for the Altoona Fire Department, Station 3, Michael Hawksworth, says during the stay at home order there’s more chance of a house fire.

“I think there could be a higher risk, this Summer, families are home, parents aren’t working, so they’re cooking a little more at home, kids are home during the day now, may not be as many vacations happening this Summer, so people may be at home doing a little bit more barbequing,” Captain Hawksworth, said.

Hawksworth told families to go over the exits in their house with their children, and to practice fire drills once a month.

“They said, tonight draw a map out, and let the kids know where to go, and I think that that’s very important and I think it’s even more important to have them involved in drawing that map out, so that they actually know where they’re going and what they’re supposed to do,” Miles, said.