Mass. Official: Smoke Alarms Saved Lives in Fire
HAVERHILL, Mass. -- Four people are alive today because smoke detectors alerted a sleeping family when a fire broke out in their kitchen at 1:24 a.m. today, according to Dep. Fire Chief Brian Moriarty.
Moriarty said that when the alarms went off, the sound woke up one of the residents, who then woke up his wife and two sleeping children.
They all raced outside the 72 Pleasant View Ave. house and went to a neighbor's across the street to escape the sub-freezing temperatures and high winds. The man then called 911.
Moriarty said the man, whose name was not available this morning, went back into the house and attempted to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher, but quickly realized the fire was out of his control.
When firefighters arrived, they found flames shooting out the back of the 2-1/2-story single-family dwelling, Moriarty said.
"We did a primary search of the house because we didn't know they were all out," he said, adding that the family also has two cats, one of which was unaccounted for last night. "We made sure nobody was left in the house."
The fire was contained to the kitchen, but there is significant water and heat damage throughout the rest of the building.
"It is salvageable, in my opinion," Moriarty said. "But they can't live there until they renovate it."
He said it appears the 1-alarm fire started due to a faulty appliance.
"Something went wrong with the refrigerator motor," he said.
Red Cross was called in to assist the family.
"The key message here is smoke detectors save lives," Moriarty said. "Smoke detectors saved four lives today."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service