5 days ago
No working smoke detectors found in Michigan mobile home after deadly fire, authorities say
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said the cause of Monday morning's fire that killed a woman is still under investigation.
"We did find that there were no working smoke detectors in the house," said Brandon Township Fire Chief Dave Kwapis.
Neighbors told CBS News Detroit on Monday that it took over half an hour for first responders to reach the scene.
A review of the response time showed that a 911 call came in at 7:14 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, and the sheriff's office dispatched fire personnel at 7:15 a.m. Multiple units were on their way at 7:17 a.m. and 7:18 a.m.
Brandon Township Fire Chief David Kwapis said it took a total of six minutes from the 911 call to arrival on the scene, but when the fire department arrived, the home was fully engulfed.
"When you're waiting, especially in the circumstances that occurred that day, it seems like an eternity. It seems like it is hours. Quite literally," Kwapis said.
He noted that the fire was burning so hot that there wasn't much the department could do to rescue the woman inside.
"When you're at a fully involved fire, you have temps that are somewhere between 1500 and 2000 degrees [that] is unsustainable for life, unfortunately," Kwapis said.
Kwapis said temperatures that hot caused the siding on neighboring homes to melt. He said that to avoid similar fires, smoke detectors can make all the difference.
"Everyone should have a working smoke detector in their house," he said. "If you do not have a working smoke detector in your house, please, please, please, I cannot implore you enough to contact your local fire department. There are programs out there where we can provide a smoke detector and put them in your home."
Kwapis said that in an emergency, every minute can feel much longer, even when responders are working as fast as they can to get to where they need to be.
