'Smoke Alarm Blitz' Held Following Deadly House Fire

WOODSTOCK, GA -- Months after a fire ripped through a home and killed a resident, Woodstock Fire and Rescue conducted an operation to ensure other residents in that neighborhood have the protection needed to avoid the same fate.

The department over the weekend visited 58 homes in the Cardinal Woods neighborhood for its Smoke Alarm Blitz.

This campaign resulted in firefighters installing close to 100 smoke alarms.

The community outreach, which was held March 25, was a "proactive approach to ensuring residents have working smoke alarms as well as bring awareness to the importance of properly working smoke alarms," said Fire Sgt. George Williams.

“Some homes did not have any smoke alarms at all and some were greater than 10 years old," he added.

The event behind this latest campaign took place just before 1 a.m. Dec. 16, 2016, when Woodstock fire and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services units responded to a residential fire on Cardinal Drive.

Officers with the Woodstock Police Department were the first to arrive on the scene and helped a male resident escape the blaze.

They learned an adult woman was still trapped inside a rear bedroom, and she was also rescued from the fire. Three others were inside the home at the time of the fire, and two of those citizens were transported to an area hospital for treatment.

A GoFundMe account was created to help the victim, Melinda Crabtree, pay for any medical expenses related to her injuries. However, Crabtree later succumbed to her injuries and passed away in late February, Woodstock fire said.

The Woodstock fire department conducts these events throughout the year in partnership with Home Depot, as it's "committed to the safety of the citizens and businesses" in the city.

For more information on smoke alarm safety and fire prevention, contact Woodstock Fire Department at 770-926-2302.

Images via city of Woodstock