CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Several fire agencies arrived to 1400 Ramfield to extinguish a fire that caused significant damage to a family home in Flour Bluff Sunday morning.
Corpus Christi Battalion Chief Michael Schmidt said a smoke detector warned the residents of a fire that began in the garage of their home early Sunday morning in the Flour Bluff area.
"But smoke alarms are the biggest single life safety device there is. So, that enabled them. They saw the lights flicker, they heard the alarm going off, they know it serves for fire and smoke, they got out and that's what ended up with the good outcome as far as occupants go," Schmidt said.
According to a 2024 report by the National Fire Protection Association, the death rate per 1,000 home structure fires is nearly 60% lower in homes with working smoke alarms than in homes with no alarms or ones that are not working properly.
Although the fire damaged part of the home, Schmidt said fire agencies responded in a timely matter and the family was able to get to safety. All thanks to a smoke alarm.
"So, it got in the attic, it affected the laundry room, the kitchen area, mainly the attic space above those and into the living room," Schmidt said. "Some pretty significant damage but it is totally rebuildable."
Besides smoke detectors, Schmidt said it's important to keep in mind of fire safety when the temperatures begin to drop.
"Going into the winter months, unfortunately, we do have an increase in fires. A lot of it is from open space heaters, using burners on the stove, things of that nature," Schmidt said. "We really need to try to have a buffer of four to five feet away from that heating device and to not have any towels, the curtains, things of that nature [nearby] because all that leads to fires."
Schmidt said CCFD offers to install smoke detectors in homes for free. Visit their website for more information, here.