Fire - News

Glendale Condo Fire - May 9, 2008

Firefighters say smoke alarms helped save an elderly couple on Friday, May 9th. At approximately 12:00 PM. the couple stated they heard a loud “boom” and a few seconds later, their smoke alarms sounded indicating there was a problem. They immediately got out of their home and neighbors called 9-11.

Firefighters arrived to their home, near 45th Avenue and McLellen in Glendale, just three minutes after the call was made and found the family’s garage to their condominium fully involved in smoke and flames. Glendale and Phoenix Firefighters immediately engaged in an aggressively fought fire. The command officers and firefighters on the fire ground quickly implemented and carried out a well thought out strategy which saved much of the home and kept the fire from destroying nearby homes. 

At this time the cause of the fire is undetermined however, fire investigators say the estimated damages are $40,000. Smoke alarms did exactly what they were meant to do in this case. They sounded which alerted this couple to get out and that’s exactly what they did. They got out, neighbors called 9-11 and they stayed out. The Glendale Fire Department reminds everyone in the community to check your smoke alarms and practice your escape plans because you never know whey you’ll have to rely on them.

The Glendale Fire Department offers these tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),

• Install new batteries in all alarms once a year or when the alarm chirps to warn that the battery is dying.
• Test units at least monthly. Test the units using the test button or an approved smoke substitute.
• Clean the units, in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions.
• Do not use an open-flame device for testing because of the danger the flame poses.
• Smoke alarms should be placed outside each sleeping area and on each level of the home, including the basement.
• In new homes, smoke alarms are required in all sleeping rooms, according to the National Fire Alarm Code.
• Alarms should be mounted on the wall 4-12 inches from the ceiling; ceiling-mounted alarms should be positioned 4 inches away from the nearest wall. On a vaulted ceiling, be sure to mount the alarm at the highest point of the ceiling.

More Safety information can be found on the Glendale Fire Department Website, www.glendaleaz.com/fire or the National Fire Protection Association’s website, www.nfpa.org