KANNAPOLIS ń A Pleasant Avenue home was heavily damaged by fire early Thursday morning, and its residents were taken to Carolinas Medical Center NorthEast for observation.
At 1:35 this morning, Kannapolis firefighters arrived at 411 Pleasant Ave. to find the home engulfed in flames. The residents who were present had been able to escape with the help of neighbors.
Estimated loss is $60,000. Fire investigators are working to determine the fire’s cause.
The home had no working smoke detector, which could have given the family an early warning, making their escape quicker.
“They are extremely lucky,” said Fire Inspector Scott Carpenter. “The situation could have turned out tragic,” he added.
Firefighters from Kannapolis stations 1, 2, 3 and 4 responded with seven pieces of apparatus and 19 departmental personnel.
Officials from the fire department warn that fire doubles in size every minute. Occupants have only minutes to escape before being overcome by the heat and deadly gases produced by the smoke.
Smoke detectors are proven to reduce the risk of fire death and injury by providing an early warning.
“Our fire department has a smoke detector program for individuals who need assistance purchasing and installing smoke detectors,” says Carpenter.
“We encourage all home owners who need our help to call our office. We will gladly install smoke detectors to help keep our citizens safe.”
For information on the department’s smoke detector program, call 704-920-4261.