Smoke Alarm Alerts Temple Family to Fire, Thankfully

A sad story avoided being a bigger tragedy after Temple firefighters responded to a reported house fire in north Temple.

Fire units arrived in the 100 Block of East Killen Lane and found heavy smoke showing from a single story brick home. In less than a minute, flames were visible from the rear of the house. An interior attack, when firefighters into the home, was used to extinguish the fire.

A working smoke alarm is credited with alerting the three residents who safely escaped. There were no injuries.

Still, the home received extensive fire, heat and smoke damage. Two vehicles inside the garage were destroyed. A dollar loss has not been estimated. Fire investigators determined the fire was unintentional, and started in the kitchen from unattended cooking. The American Red Cross was contacted to provide assistance.

Temple Police, Scott & White EMS, Oncor Electric, and Atmos Gas responded. The fire department responded with 11 units and 24 personnel. The call was dispatched at 2:29 p.m., and the first unit arrived at 2:35 p.m. Under control was given at 3:09 p.m. The last unit cleared the scene at 4:56 p.m.

Fire doubles in size every minute, allowing you as little as 2 to 3 minutes to escape. Working smoke alarms provide early warning, allowing time to get outside. Smoke alarms are relatively inexpensive, and many fire departments including Temple Fire & Rescue offer an installation program for families who cannot afford the cost, or who need help installing an alarm.

Temple Fire & Rescue contributed to this report.