Belmont Fatal Fire Deemed Accidental, Expired Smoke Alarms Found

BELMONT, MA — Investigators determined the fatal house fire in Belmont on April 24 was accidental. The victim of the fire was identified as 55-year-old Alison Bane. Fire officials said the smoke detectors in the home were expired.

The smoke detectors were found to be “decades old,” according to a joint statement released by Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell and State Fire Marshal Ostroskey.

“Time is your enemy in a fire where you may have less than three minutes to escape. Expired alarms cannot be counted on to work in a fire,” Frizzell said.

Damages amounted to about $150,000 and one firefighter suffered a minor injury.

“I urge everyone to take the time this spring to ensure all smoke alarms that need them have fresh batteries, and replace any alarms that are more than 10 years old,” Ostroskey said.