This fire was preventable, O Brien said. People have to use care and common sense when they use baseboard heaters and make sure that all combustibles like couches, curtains, beds and chairs are kept a safe distance away. Fire inspectors did not know if smoke detectors activated because the intense heat within the condo melted them. Smoke detectors are essential in every home, O Brien said. If this fire had occurred at night, the smoke detectors would have saved the occupants lives.
Studies show smoke detectors more than double the chances of a person surviving a fire.
A fire in a Now Colorado unit in Warrior s Mark last year was strikingly similar. Residents in that condominium had placed a couch against a baseboard heater and their pet ferret later built a nest that ignited and burned the entire unit.