In a single weekend, 10 lives were saved in the Palos area by a simple device known as a smoke detector. In the first fire that occurred in Palos Park, two occupants of a large house were asleep when their smoke detector alerted them to a serious blaze that eventually destroyed their home and sent four area firefighters to the hospital. Although the second fire started during the afternoon, two adults and six children occupying a mid-size home in Palos Heights were able to escape with their lives when their smoke detectors alerted them to a rapidly spreading fire that gutted their wood-framed home.
The physical evidence left behind at the fire scene tells a story of loss and destruction. The real story is that 10 people are alive and well because they followed our advice and regularly changed their smoke detector batteries to ensure that they would properly operate when needed.
