Smoke alarm helps save lives during Friday fire

A smoke alarm helped save multiple lives after a home caught fire early Friday morning in Paola.

Paola Fire Chief Andy Martin said firefighters were notified at 5:51 a.m. Friday of a fire at 301 E. Piankishaw St. Crews arrived on scene at 5:59 a.m. and noticed that smoke was coming out of the structure, which is split into three apartments.

Martin said the fire was under control at 7 a.m, and there were no injuries — in large part due to a smoke alarm that awoke an upstairs occupant. Martin said the fire originated in a floor furnace that had been covered with a throw rug in the downstairs apartment. The apartment owner had already left for work when the fire occurred. Martin said the upstairs occupant was awakened by the smoke alarm and got the other occupants out of the structure.

Firefighter Chris Courtney also was able to successfully rescue a pet dog from the downstairs apartment, Martin said.

Volunteer firefighters had to cut a large hole in the floor to access the fire, which was inside a crawl space in the living room, Martin said. He emphasized that homeowners should never cover floor furnaces because it creates a fire hazard.

Martin estimated that the fire caused about $10,000 worth of damage.

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