Smoke detectors save lives after two homes catch fire

HAZEL PARK — When two homes caught fire on Muir Street in Hazel Park late last month, working smoke detectors saved the lives of the occupants sleeping inside.

The incident occurred July 30, mere weeks after another fire on the same street July 12. In the earlier incident, no working smoke detectors were present and two people died. It was the city’s first fatal fire in more than 10 years.

By contrast, in the more recent fire, “Here we had two people who were asleep in their home, and they were alerted by the cheapest piece of insurance you can buy,” said Hazel Park Fire Chief Richard Story, referring to smoke detectors. “It saved their lives.”

He noted that his department provides smoke detectors for free to all residents of Hazel Park. Simply visit the fire station at 22830 Russell Ave., and show your ID.

The July 30 fire occurred around 3 a.m. in the area of Eight Mile and John R roads. Once the firefighters arrived on Muir Street, they found the two homes already ablaze. The chief described them as larger two-story farmhouse-style homes, likely built in the 1930s.

The two buildings only had about 5 feet of separation between them. One building was fully engulfed in flames, while fire had spread to half of the other building. The house where the fire started didn’t have smoke detectors, but it was unoccupied at the time.

The chief said the blaze might have been caused by overloaded electrical systems, with too many items plugged in drawing power. He said older homes may have antiquated systems in need of professional inspection. He also discouraged the use of extension cords, noting they are only meant for temporary use. However, he said extension cords didn’t appear to be involved here.

“It looks like the fire originated in the kitchen area. There were no smoke detectors, and it was the middle of the night with no one home, so the fire went unchecked a good amount of time. The fire spread to the family room and consumed a sofa under a big bay window. The heat and pressure blew out the window,” Story said.

Unfortunately, a natural gas meter was right outside and caught fire.

“The flames from the original fire lapped onto the gas meter, causing internal failure that ignited the gas,” Story said. “That obviously adds fuel to the fire, making it even bigger.”

The fire began spreading to the neighboring home. The two occupants sleeping inside were jolted awake by their smoke detectors. They safely escaped without injury.

Firefighters from Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Ferndale responded. They began dousing the two buildings with water, knocking down the bulk of the flames on the exterior.

“That’s when we saw the gas meter was on fire, too, which is actually good, since it’s burning the gas and can’t explode,” Story said. “If we just had natural gas vapors in the air, there could have been an explosion.”

The firefighters immediately contacted Consumers Energy, which sent a representative while firefighters closely monitored the situation.

“The representative called in a dig crew from Consumers (Energy), so they could dig up the curb line and find the shutoff below grade,” Story said. “We spent an hour of just keeping a check on the gas meter fire while we waited for Consumers (Energy) to do their business in the street and shut off the gas, which eliminated the source of the fuel. The fire went out, and we were basically done.”

No other properties were affected by the fire.

Story commended the work of the fire crews who were faced with two fully involved structure fires in the middle of the night.

“Most people are sleeping at that time,” Story said. “I had an outstanding crew show up, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Both structures are still standing — I don’t know if they’re repairable, but they didn’t burn to the ground. With the assistance of our mutual aid partners (in Madison Heights and Ferndale), we were able to get this done.”

He also noted that anyone who wants to help the victims of the July 30 and July 12 fires can contact the fire station by calling (248) 542-6000.