Fatal fire encourages neighbors to use free smoke detector program
HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Fire officials are pushing for every home in West Tennessee to have a smoke detector, kicking off the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. Some say a fatal fire in Henderson County encourages them to take advantage of the program. Kathy Armstrong said all she can think about is how her friend felt before she died in a Friday morning fire. “The torture, the pain,” Armstrong said. A mobile home on Simpson Park Cove in Henderson County went up in flames around 11:30 a.m. Friday with a woman inside. “Just knowing she was in that fire and she tried to get out. ‘Cause her face, they told me was covered,” Armstrong said. “So she knew what to do, and she was alert enough. I just think her time ran out.” Fire officials said they do not believe the woman had smoke detectors. Lieutenant Mark Zurofsky with the Lexington Fire Department said that could have made a difference. “Smoke detectors are not a guarantee by any means, but they certainly increase your odds of escaping a house fire,” Zurofsky said. He said each year the state gives local fire departments the chance to hand out smoke detectors for free. He said they recommend you change smoke detectors every ten years, but the new smoke detectors make sure homeowners never have to worry about changing the batteries in their smoke alarms. “We’re offering free ten-year smoke detectors. They have a ten-year battery, so you never have to replace the battery,” Zurofsky said. Armstrong said her neighbors now are encouraged to get one too after her friend’s tragic death. “It’s a sad loss because she was a nice, beautiful, gorgeous young girl,” Armstrong said. Fire officials have not yet released the name of the victim. Contact your local fire department to see if they have a smoke detector program available. Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 5 until Saturday, Oct. 11.
