Enfield Residents Take Advantage of Free Smoke Detectors

Fire officials say that in the wake of the fire that killed four Enfield residents earlier this month, scores of town residents are installing smoke detectors in their homes.

Dozens of residents are taking advantage of the free smoke detector program that’s funded by a federal grant and offered by the fire department, Thompsonville Fire Chief Frank Alaimo told NBC Connecticut.

Since the Dec. 10 fire at 68 S. River St., there apparently isn’t a day that residents call seeking the detectors. One of the fire survivors, Mary Lapane told NBC that the batteries of her smoke detectors had died. She said that she smelled smoke and was able to escape with her two sons.

The cause of the early morning blaze remains under investigation by local and state police and fire officials.

The medical examiner has ruled that Orise Handfield, 59, and Cathy Armes, 36, both died of smoke inhalation. The two other victims were Joshua Johnson, 20, and David J. Cygan, 19.

The victims were four of nine people who lived in the duplex.

The NBC Connecticut story can be found here.

Related stories:

• Investigators Continue Work to Determine Cause of Fatal Enfield Fire
• For Enfield Fire Victim, ‘It Was All About Family’
• Enfield Rallies to Help Fire Survivors
• Update: Four Dead Following Enfield House Fire

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Photo credit: Thompsonville Fire Department.