Fire alarm saves Cape Coral home
A residential fire alarm system along with an aggressive fire attack saved a Cape Coral home Thursday evening.
Cape Coral 911 operators received a report of a smoke detector activation from a monitoring company just before 7:30 p.m. The alarm service reported a living room detector going off. Firefighters from Engine 1, Engine 9 and Ladder 6 were dispatched to the home at 276 S.E. 46th Terrace at the corner of Palm Tree Boulevard.
Within two minutes, the alarm company called back, reporting they called the occupant and he reported the couch in the living room on fire. Dispatchers immediately upgraded the alarm to a residential building fire, bringing a full 1st alarm assignment under the Command of Battalion Chief Christopher Cox. As the additional firefighters were responding, Engine 1 arrived and reported heavy smoke showing from the front door.
“We could see active fire through the front window,” said Lt. Todd Rigoni from Engine 1, in a prepared statement released Friday morning.
“Firefighters made an aggressive interior attack on the fire through the front door and had the fire extinguished within moments,” the release states. “The occupant, who was renting the home, was not injured by the fire. The residence suffered significant heat and smoke damage in the living room area but the rest of the home was saved.”
“This is an excellent example of the entire system working correctly,” said fire department spokesperson Michael Heeder in the statement. “The alarm activated at the first sign of smoke, the alarm company immediately notified our dispatchers, the dispatchers sent the initial units quickly and then followed up by upgrading the alarm when the reports came back of active fire.
“This is a prime example of why we are always pushing for working smoke detectors, fire alarm systems and residential sprinklers,” Heeder said. “The more rapid a response, the more property and lives can be saved.”
No damage estimate was immediately available and the fire remains under investigation.
Palm Tree Boulevard was blocked for a short time as firefighters hooked up to a fire hydrant but the road was reopened once the fire was out.
Source: Cape Coral Fire Department