Ladysmith Fire Chief Ray Delcourt says more people need to get the message that smoke detectors save lives.
There were no working smoke detectors in a fire that killed a middle-aged couple in their Pictou Road home in Ladysmith early Saturday, said Delcourt.
An investigation is under way into the cause of the fire at the double-wide manufactured home but it is not believed to be suspicious. A couple in their late 40s or early 50s died in the blaze along with their dog and cat.
Their identities have not been released.
Ladysmith Fire Department installs smoke detectors for free whenever they’re called to a fire or call for medical aid in the community, said Delcourt.
“We put working smoke detectors in as we’re leaving,” he said.
A vast majority of dwellings don’t have working smoke detectors, he said.
“We’re trying to get a movement toward smoke detection because maybe that fire the other night might have had a different result,” Delcourt said.
People have good intentions but they’re not spending the time to get smoke detectors in place, he said.
“If it’s your mother or dad’s birthday, buy them a smoke detector,” Delcourt said.
“That’s going to save their life — it’s cheap insurance. It definitely causes us concern.”
Any of Ladysmith’s 10,000 residents can call the fire department and someone will install a smoke detector in their home, he said.
“We offer that to people in our community,” said Delcourt.
Smoke kills people more often than the flames, he said. People are mistaken if they think the smell of smoke would wake them up.
“It works totally to the reverse — it puts you in a deeper sleep,” said Delcourt.
“We’re trying to make the effort to make sure people are safe. We want to prevent fires and make sure we don’t have to deal with these kinds of incidents.”
