After two house fires last week, Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell is urging all homeowners to install smoke alarms.
Powell said in both cases last week there were no smoke alarms in the house.
“Smoke alarms save lives,” Powell said. “If someone can’t afford a smoke alarm, please contact either the fire department or the Red Cross, and we can get that taken care of.”
A family on South Carhart Street was lucky to have woken up when a fire started in their house at about 3:40 a.m. last Monday, February 17.
Powell said the blaze was connected to a window heat pump in the home where either the electrical cord shorted out or the machine itself somehow malfunctioned.
“It was all wired correctly,” he said. “We’re not sure what went wrong.”
Fortunately, a deputy and a volunteer fireman got to the scene quickly and knocked down the biggest part of the blaze before the fire department arrived, Powell said.
Later last week on Thursday, another home fire was reported after 7 p.m. in the 800 block of East Fourth. Powell said the residents there earlier in the day had cleaned out a wood stove or fireplace and left the ash bucket in the house.
“The ash bucket got hot and ignited something,” Powell said.
No one was home in that case, but a family dog did perish.
Powell said both homes can be repaired and there were no injuries in either case.
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