This Is Never A Good Sight!

Jean Lane Fire

It's a missing smoke alarm. The Rojas family is lucky to be alive today after 24-year old Thomas Junior awoke to find smoke in his home at 1943 SW Jean Lane. He roused his wife, two small children, father and brother and all escaped unharmed. The fire, confined to the master bathroom of their three-bedroom ranch home, did about $40,000 in damage. The younger Rojas tried to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, which helped keep the flames in check until Hillsboro Firefighters arrived shortly before 3:00 am Tuesday morning, June 23rd. They quickly doused the flames.

The family's smoke alarm had begun chirping, indicating it had a dead battery. They removed the alarm, intending to replace it, thinking that nothing was going to happen in the interim.

The cause of the fire is believed to be the exhaust fan in the bathroom. Here are the safety tips for the day:

* Never go to bed without working smoke alarms.
* If your exhaust fan has begun getting louder, it should be checked or replaced by a qualified electrical contractor.

If you are worried about what type of alarm to buy, ionization or photoelectric, consider an alarm with both types in a single unit. There is more on that at the US Fire Administration web site.