ATLANTA --
Atlanta firefighters distributed new smoke detectors to families who had previously received counterfeit ones from the fire department.
Firefighters from station 38 in Northwest Atlanta canvassed the Hollowell Heights community in an effort to replace counterfeit smoke alarms.
Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran said they planned to target 300 homes in the neighborhood.
Samuel Oliver thought the smoke detector in his home would protect him until he got a knock on his door from Atlanta firefighters.
"Knowing it's counterfeit, it's scary. But I feel good that they realized the mistake and came out and corrected," Oliver said.
More than 18,000 bogus smoke alarms were given to families across Atlanta by the Atlanta fire department.
The fire department didn't know there was a problem with the smoke detectors until a CBS Atlanta Tough Questions investigation revealed the alarms had fake labels.
"They simply give a false sense of security," Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran said.
Atlanta firefighters spent Saturday canvassing the Hollowell Hights community.
The Atlanta Fire Department recalled 18,000 smoke detectors after a CBS Atlanta investigation uncovered the detectors were fake.
Cochran said it would take two to three years to replace all of the counterfeit smoke alarms.
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