A Thursday morning fire in Narragansett left one unit of a duplex condemned and the other with minor smoke damage, WJAR reported.
Crews were called at 8:23 a.m. after a woman reported heavy smoke in her apartment. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke on the second and third floors, with the fire itself on the second floor. They brought hose lines inside and knocked down the flames quickly.
No civilians or pets were hurt, according to the Narragansett Fire Department. One firefighter suffered a very minor injury. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Smoke detectors helped raise the alarm
Narragansett Fire Department Administrative Captain Joseph Conroy said smoke detectors helped alert crews to the fire. He urged residents to check the batteries in their own detectors and replace them as needed.
National data backs up that advice. Missing or broken smoke alarms play a role in nearly three of every five U.S. home fire deaths, according to a National Fire Protection Association report covering 2012 to 2016, Safety+Health magazine reported. The risk of dying in a home fire was 54% lower when working alarms were present. When alarms failed, missing or disconnected batteries were behind 43% of cases and dead batteries another 25%.
The NFPA recommends testing smoke alarms at least once a month and having one outside every sleeping area and on every level of a home.
Residents with questions about fire safety can contact the Narragansett Fire Department at 40 Caswell St. or 401-789-1000, according to the town.
