A Sunday night fire hammered home all the investment the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department has been making in fire prevention and the need for smoke detectors as a family on Fourth Avenue escaped unharmed and the house was left with minimal damage.
Lieutenant Kevin Hawkins said all this happened when a 4-year-old in the house was awakened to the sound of a smoke detector after the kitchen stove malfunctioned. “She went to get her mom and told her there was a fire. This is a prime example of how good smoke detectors work. Everyone was asleep and the four-year-old was woken by the smoke detector.”
Hawkins said the 11:30 p.m. fire also demonstrated how a child at 4 knew what smoke detectors do and how it led the family to safety.
The call came in as a structure fire with people in the house and 911 dispatchers trying to get them out. “One the way to the scene they said everybody was out.”
Firefighters found moderate smoke from the front of the house and learned the residents put it out with clothing. The fire burned a small portion of the wall and cabinets, probably around $1,000 in damages.
Hawkins said the stove had been malfunctioning throughout the day.
Because the smoke detector was working and the girl knew what to do, “It's a fire that spared damage to the house and spared injury due to smoke inhalation.”
Firefighters from both stations responded, along with the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad, EMS and police.