A working smoke alarm is credited with saving an elderly couple and one of their dogs from a rapidly-spreading fire that levelled the couple鈥檚 home in south 91原创 Monday morning.
Around 6:30 a.m., the smoke alarm started blaring inside the log home located in the 21300 block of 8 Avenue, waking the female homeowner, who alerted her husband. They managed to get outside to safety before flames and smoke engulfed the 1980s-built home, said Township assistant fire chief Monty Armstrong.
A neighbour freed the family dog from its outdoor run.
鈥淎t least one dog made it out safely,鈥� said Armstrong, adding there may have been another in the home, but he wasn鈥檛 certain.
By the time Township fire crews arrived, they were up against a fire that had already engulfed the whole house.
The single-family dwelling in the was destroyed.
Neighbours said the blaze spread quickly, engulfing thehouse and sending a plume of smoke billowing high over the area.
At the height of the fire fight, at least eight units of the Township fire department were involved.
Because there were no fire hydrants in the rural neighbourhood, water had to be brought in by tanker truck from the nearest hydrants, one of which was located in the area of 24 Avenue and 208 Street.
There is nothing left of the home, so determining the fire鈥檚 cause is difficult, said Armstrong.
鈥淲e may never know the cause because of the significant damage,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e do know that it is not suspicious.鈥�
Armstrong said in his 25 years as a firefighter, he鈥檚 still in awe of how effective smoke alarms are at saving lives.
鈥淲e are so fortunate that the smoke alarms were working in this home. If they hadn鈥檛, I鈥檓 confident we would have been dealing with a tragedy because this fire ripped through the home so quickly,鈥� he said.
鈥淭est your batteries, continue to be vigilant,鈥� he advised. 鈥淭each young kids to recognize the sound of a smoke alarm. This is an example of how it saves lives.鈥�
Armstrong said the couple have a close-knit network of friends and family and are now staying with family.
