Smoke alarms not only save lives but can also be essential for the protection of property. In late 2022, a recently serviced smoke alarm sounded alerting neighbours and renters living outside the property early enough to prevent a ravaging fire from spreading to neighbouring houses.
Background
In May 2022, a rental property in Melbourne’s South East was enlisted in Detector Inspector's smoke alarm safety service.
After liaising with the real estate agency and property manager responsible for the property, Detector Inspector sent out a technician to perform a safety service.
During the service, the technician identified an expired 9V detachable smoke alarm, which had reached the end of its 10-year useable life. As part of the safety service, the technician replaced the alarm with a brand-new detachable 9V smoke alarm.
To confirm the viability of the alarm, checks on its test button and decibel output were performed and photos were taken and displayed in the service report provided to the property manager.
Decibel reading from new smoke alarm installed during the Detector Inspector smoke alarm safety service. 91.6 is an above specification reading.
Seven months later, while the renters were away on an overseas holiday, Melbourne experienced severe weather, flooding the rental property.
Upon return from their holiday, the renters found the property almost inhabitable due to the dampness and mould that had taken over inside.
While the house was undergoing repairs, the renters began living in a caravan parked on the front lawn and only came inside to use the kitchen.
Incident
One day after finishing cooking inside, the renters returned outside to their caravan for the evening.
A couple of hours passed before suddenly, they heard a beeping sound. The beeping was coming from the smoke alarm inside the flooded rental.
The beeping was loud enough to alert neighbours from next door and across the street to the incident.
When the renter got inside to investigate, he found the stovetop on fire caused by a chip pan they had accidentally left on while cooking dinner.
The alerted neighbours immediately called the emergency services who arrived at the property with lights and sirens. By this time the fire had spread from the ignition point in the kitchen to the main corridor and was making its way to the rest of the property.
Thankfully, due to the early warning fire services were able to bring the situation under control before the fire was able to spread further.
Outcome
The outcome of this incident could have been a whole lot worse if it were not for the serviced and working smoke alarm. The property manager claims that if the renter and neighbours had not been alerted when they did by the smoke alarm, the blaze would have likely taken over the entire property with a significant risk of spreading to the neighbouring properties.
The damage to the property, however, was still significant with the corridor housing the smoke alarm burnt significantly and the kitchen where the fire started completely destroyed.
Kitchen wall almost completely destroyed by the fire and hallway following the fire, showing significant ceiling damage and the location of the smoke alarm that alerted the renters and neighbours.
Conclusion
This case highlights the critical role of smoke alarms. The renters of this property were fortunate enough to have a working smoke alarm that alerted them to the fire, even though they were living outside the house due to the flood damage. The loud and distinct sound of the alarm also helped to notify the neighbours of the emergency, who were able to call the emergency services.
If the situation was different and the renters had been inside, this early notice would have allowed the neighbours to potentially assist the renters to escape before it was too late.
Smoke alarms can provide valuable time for occupants to evacuate and call for help, as well as support emergency services in preventing further damage and spread. Working smoke alarms save lives and give occupants and neighbours peace of mind that they have a reliable early warning system in place.
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