Find information on the Spokane Valley Fire Department’s smoke alarm program here.
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – A mom and son were displaced after a fire in Spokane Valley destroyed their mobile home overnight, but thanks to a working smoke alarm installed by the Spokane Valley Fire Department in 2019, the family is alive.
Around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, the Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to a mobile home fire on the 900 block of North Bowman Road. They quickly evacuated the two residents, a mother and son, who said they woke up to smoke detectors sounding.
The SVFD launched an aggressive attack to knock down the fire, as neighboring homes were at risk. The fire spread to nearby trees and damaged the windows of a neighboring home.
Firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading further, but the mobile home was completely destroyed.
According to SVFD, a working smoke alarm saved the lives of those inside. Caroline Kusher, the community risk reduction specialist for SVFD, said this home’s smoke alarm was installed by the department back in 2019 during a community installation blitz.
“Smoke alarms can cut your risk of dying from a home fire in half,” Kusher said. “Smoke alarms need to be installed in every bedroom and designated sleeping areas, outside them, and at least one on every level of your home.”
Kusher added you need to test your smoke alarms once a month and put new batteries in them at least twice a year.
Every ten years, if an alarm does not respond to a new battery, replace it.
“We want everybody to have smoke alarms that are working,” Kusher said. “They don’t last forever.”
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
