Extension Cord is Cause of Smoky Fire on Jacoby Street

A young boy is being credited with saving the lives of his family after an early morning fire broke out in their Maplewood home Sunday, a Maplewood fire official said.

When firefighters arrived at 92 Jacoby St. at 6:45 a.m., they saw smoke coming out of the 2½ story building.

According to Capt. Joe Callaghan, the boy was awakened when he smelled smoke and notified his parents. The family then fled the house. The fire was contained to the second floor of the building.

“As it turned out,” Callaghan said, “the family ran a lightweight extension cord to a space heater.  The cord ran out into to the hallway and had clothes on top of it. The clothing caught fire.”

There were no reported injuries, Callaghan said, although the family was checked out for smoke inhalation and other injuries.

Because of the amount of smoke and water damage, the family was forced to out of the home and is staying with friends in Maplewood.

“The takeaway for people is not to use extension cords,” Callaghan said. “The family also didn’t have a battery in the smoke detectors. So if the son hadn’t smelled the smoke, this could have turned out much differently.