Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - Smoke alarm is the source of house fire

Smoke alarm is the source of house fire

Aug 10, 2008 - 04:06:44 CDT

By Chris Rosacker
Bismarck Tribune

The purpose of a smoke detector in a house is to notify the residents of the first sign of smoke. But when the alarm itself is on fire, it's difficult for it to perform its function.

That was the case when Galen Hanson and Carmen Hickle returned to their home at 1400 North 4th St. Friday evening.

After discovering the source, they called 911 emergency response. At roughly 8:42, the police and fire department responded.

The residents were able to put out the burning detector with a fire extinguisher before the fire department arrived.

Fire fighters determined the fire detector had an electrical malfunction that caused the device to combust, said Sgt. Scott Meyers of the Bismarck Police.

No one was hurt and damage was minimal.

News > Local

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Comments

lifesaving wrote on Aug 16, 2008 9:34 AM:

" My Aunt bought a life jacket. They went out of the boat for the first time, the life jacket fell in and sank to the bottom.

DJ: LOL!
wtf: I agree, My kids don't even wake up when our ear piercing alarm goes off, I doubt they'd wake up to my voice instead. "

justme wrote on Aug 14, 2008 9:27 AM:

" wtf--watch this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNdoUaGQb5c "

why wrote on Aug 11, 2008 12:21 PM:

" To Fark.com. I too have a smoke detector near my kitchen when it goes off I know supper is ready ....no need for a dinner bell. The wife and I get a kick out of it. "

wtf wrote on Aug 11, 2008 7:59 AM:

" Voice activated eh? As in, just like the voice they hear every day?! It takes at least a few times to wake my daughter up.. Now, an ear-piercing screech thats not an everyday noise.. that might wake someone up. In fact, they have this new invention that does just that on a daily basis. I think it's called an alarm-watch or something... no, its an alarm-clock.. yea thats it! THE POINT IS: Loud annoying noises are good if you need to get up NOW! "If it aint broke, dont fix it" "

fpm wrote on Aug 11, 2008 3:55 AM:

" i used to be a homeless rodeo clown but now i am a world class magician "

Allan wrote on Aug 11, 2008 2:21 AM:

" Actually, a 9v battery CAN create electrical fires, and if they short out can actually explode in a small fireball.
Also, this is not a freak occurence, no more than a monh ago i read a story about a guys house burnng down because the fire alarm did exactly like the one in this story, s while Very uncommon, it does happen once in a while "

Fark.com wrote on Aug 10, 2008 10:58 PM:

" Can you say, "worst smoke alarm ever?"
JG: Mine does, too. It's near the kitchen, and always goes off when I'm cooking. "

-jB wrote on Aug 10, 2008 8:08 PM:

" It was certainly hard-wired (110v) as the little 9v batteries simply don't have enough power to start a smoke detector on fire. "

pyro wrote on Aug 10, 2008 7:18 PM:

" Just bought two,called Kidsmart, for about $25 each through an Amazon vendor. They are not voice activated. They sense smoke like any other alarm. They are different in that you can record your own voice to be played as the alarm message. "

Delane Kempf wrote on Aug 10, 2008 7:10 PM:

" Check with your local American Red Cross for the smoke detectors where you record your voice telling your child to wake up. "

DJ wrote on Aug 10, 2008 6:03 PM:

" A voice-activated smoke alarm??? You activate it by running up to it a shouting "Hey! The frikkin' house is on fire!! Start beeping!! Hey!! Start alarming!!!" "

JG wrote on Aug 10, 2008 5:59 PM:

" My smoke alarm has a snooze button. "

why wrote on Aug 10, 2008 1:40 PM:

" I'm, glad there was minimal damage. It's funny insurance companies push for you to install smoke detectors. Than that device that is installed to protect you could be the cause of harm to you. although I am sure this was a freak incidence it still is an incidence. Luckily they came home to discover the cause of the fire, otherwise after their home was burned to ground it would have been written off as an electrical problem,covering up a possible recall on smoke alarms. Curious if it was battery operated (9 volt) or hard wired (110v.)? "

Jackson wrote on Aug 10, 2008 11:54 AM:

" You can purchase voice activated alarms at Lowe's. "

Voice Alarms wrote on Aug 10, 2008 10:53 AM:

" Does anyone know yet where you can buy the smoke alarms that are voice activated rather than by an actual alarm? Saw the clip on dateline but can't seem to find them to buy. You can record your voice telling your child to wake up?? "

Bob wrote on Jan 1, 1970 9:00 PM:

" You people all need to learn the definition of the word 'activated'. These alarms are activated by SMOKE not VOICES!!! The alarm is the part that can be changed to be your voice. A 'voice activated' alarm would go ofrcing alarm goes off, I doubt they'd wake up to my voice instead. "

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