Fire damages home in Liberty Twp. smoke alarms saves teenagers life

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money for the O’Byrne family. Your donation will go to the family to help them to recover from this unfortunate event.

A Liberty Township teenager thankfully escaped his burning home Wednesday afternoon after he was awakened by the sound of smoke detectors. The first-alarm fire was reported at 89A Marble Hill Rd around 3:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived, the two and half story residential dwelling had heavy fire showing from the attached two car garage extending into the house on all floors. “The fire was stopped and only smoke and water damage was done to the rest of the home. The fire was primarily a wind driven fire, and gave first arriving units a run for their money,” according to the Mountain Lake Fire Company.

Their teenage son was asleep in his bedroom on the second floor of the house at the time and was woken up by the sound of the smoke detectors. If their home did not have smoke detectors properly installed, the outcome could have been much worse, officials said. The residents and their pets were able to get out safely. The American Red Cross is also helping the family with temporary lodging.

This Sunday is Daylight Savings so when you “spring forward” your clocks, replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and test the units at the same time. The American Red Cross wants every household in America to join them in taking two simple steps that can save lives: check or install smoke/carbon monoxide alarms and practice fire drills at home.

If you need a free lifesaving smoke alarm, Click Here to download the request form and email it to donna.meierpfeifer@redcross.org, OR Click Here to fill out our online form. A Red Cross representative will contact you within two to three weeks to schedule an installation time and to create a home fire escape plan with your family.