Fire and Rescue officials say working smoke alarms potentially saved a family of four and their two dogs during a house fire in Chevy Chase on Tuesday night.
At about 10:58 p.m., MCFRS received the call for a house fire in the 3800 block of Thornapple St. in Chevy Chase Section 5. The fire originated in the kitchen, according to MCFRS spokesman Bill Delaney, and caused an estimated $25,000 worth of damage.
The working smoke alarms and the barking dogs woke up the two adults and two teenagers in time to leave the house and alert authorities to help contain the damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“We hate to hear that the house caught on fire, of course, but everyone was able to escape without injuries, which we love to hear,” Delaney said. “We love it when people have working smoke alarms. It could mean the difference between life and death.”
Delaney and MCFRS are using the incident to encourage residents to install or inspect smoke alarms, which has been shown to drastically reduce the chance of fatalities from fire.
