On September 15, 2006 at 0149 hours (1:49 am) the MAVFC was dispatched for a garage fire at 6260 Richie Drive in the Windermere community. First arriving units found where a small fire had occurred in the attached garage of a two story home. The homeowner had conrolled the fire with several buckets of water prior to the arrival of the fire service units. Investigation revealed that the fire had originated in a cardboard trash box. The trash box contained sawdust, paper, small pieces of wood and other trash as well as many cigarette butts. The homeowner stated that a family member had discarded smoking material earlier in the evening in the box as had been done many times before. There were no other ignition sources in the area. The fire was contained to the area of the trash box with minimal damage to the garage. The fire was started by smoking material that was still hot.
The family was awaken by their smoke alarm sounding. While investigating the reason for the alarm to sound, they found the fire in an early stage. Without the alert of the smoke alarm, far greater damage would have occurred to the home, and the ability for the family to escape from their beds, would have been far reduced.
The first engine assisted in completing extinguishment of the fire, overhaul, and removal of smoke from the house and garage. No injuries were sustained by the family or firefighters.
Check your smoke alarms monthly, and change your batteries in the Spring and Fall when you change the time on your clocks. Smoke alarms are your first line of defense in escaping a fire. If you need assistance in checking your smoke alarms, contact your local fire station.
