Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives Overnight in Montgomery County

MAGNOLIA, TX -- Just before 1 AM Thursday morning, Firefighters from the Magnolia and Montgomery Fire Departments were called to a residential fire on Country Oaks Blvd north of the City of Magnolia. The first arriving crews were met by the home’s two occupants who reported that they were able to escape when they were awakened by the sounds of smoke alarms, alerting them to a growing fire in the rear of the home.

Fire crews were able to bring the fire under control within an hour but the home was severely damaged by heat and smoke, displacing the residents. There were no reports of injuries and MCFMO Investigators are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire.

While their home was lost along with most of their personal property, the two occupants of the home can count themselves lucky to have survived the fire. Most fatal home fires occur when residents are asleep and are overcome by smoke before they are aware of a fire in their home.

October 6th through October 12th is National Fire Prevention Week. This year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You.” According to the latest “Smoke Alarms in the U.S.” report from the National Fire Protection Association, (NFPA), working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half (60 percent), while the majority of civilian home fire deaths continues to occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working alarms. These statistics—coupled with newly released findings from a comprehensive U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) survey—reinforce the critical importance of Fire Prevention Week.

“Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, but they have to be working in order to protect people,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign drives home just how important it is to install, test, and maintain smoke alarms to ensure they’re working properly.”

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