A working smoke detector and sprinkler system is credited with saving the life of an Alexandria resident on Saturday October 11, 2014. At 8:44 p.m. a fire started in an unattended frying pan on the stove in a two bedroom apartment located at 805 North Patrick Street in the City of Alexandria. According to Fire Investigators the lone occupant who was frying chicken on the stove left the kitchen and fell asleep in a rear bedroom when the occupant was awaken by the sound of the smoke alarm. The occupant returned to the kitchen to find the contents of the frying pan on fire which had spread to the kitchen cabinets.
The occupant who was unable to escape through the front door, due to smoke and fire, was able to escape through a first floor bedroom window unharmed where they called 911. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire confining all damage to the apartment.
Alexandria Fire Chief Robert Dubé said that the fire drove home the message of this year’s National Fire Prevention week held from October 5 – 11 that “Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives.”
Over the last four decades, an estimated 90,000 lives have been saved by smoke detection and fire sprinkler systems. Odds of dying in a residential fire are reduced by half if you have a working smoke detector.
The occupant of the apartment along with an individual not at home when the fire occurred were assisted by the American Red Cross with temporary housing until repairs could be made to their apartment.