Fatal Fire Draws Attention To Importance Of Alarms

The Dryden Fire Service continues to stress the importance of smoke detectors.
A family of four in East Gwillimbury, north of Toronto, lost their lives after a fire started on the main floor of their home, which wasn’t detected by the smoke alarm.
Ontario Fire Marshal Ted Wieclawek says by the time fire crews got there, the house was fully engulfed in flames and the escape route for the parents and their two teenaged sons was blocked.
A preliminary investigation shows there was no smoke detector on the main floor and the one for the second floor was wired through the main floor laundry room, which is where it appears the fire started.
Dryden Fire Chief Ken Kurz says these kind of situations happen every week all over the province.
Kurz says it’s important to have a working alarm on every floor of the home, and outside sleeping areas.
He adds “the more the merrier” because in the event of a fire, the average person has about 2 minutes to get out safely.