Crews from the Gamber & Community Fire Company and surrounding area fire departments responded to a reported house fire at 3740 Nicholson Road in Westminster at 5:06 a.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. The first arriving firefighters experienced an active fire showing in the living room portion of the single story wood framed dwelling. The lone occupant and his dog had safely escaped the smoke and flames after being alerted to the blaze by his working smoke alarms. Nearly 40 firefighters were involved with containing the fire that had extended from the living room area and into the attic space in under an hour. An active woodstove insert located in the living room was in use at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported during the incident. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigated the cause of the fire.

Were it not for the occupant's working smoke alarms, this incident could have easily had a far different outcome. Please make sure to test and maintain the smoke alarms inside your home to help provide the needed time to escape the dangers of an uncontrolled fire. All smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years. If you are unsure of the effectiveness of your smoke alarms, please contact your local fire department for assistance.

Additionally, the new smoke alarm law affecting battery-only smoke alarms will go into effect on January 1, 2018. All battery-only smoke alarms must be replaced with 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms. Having these new technologically advanced alarms eliminates the need to change batteries each year and actually saves money over the ten year period of their best effectiveness.

Photos courtesy of Michael Jordan.