A smoke detector made all the difference in this Burton residence fire

A Friday night Burton fire could have ended differently if the home hadn’t had smoke detectors.

An elderly couple escaped their home and called 911 when their smoke detector alerted them of a problem at their Thomasina Drive home around 9 p.m., according to a Burton Fire District news release. When firefighters arrived, the home looked fine from the front, but there was smoke coming from underneath the home on one side.

The fire is believed to be the result of damaged wires igniting insulation, according to the release. Since the fire was found early on, the fire didn’t have time to spread and there was only minor damage. Firefighters helped get the smoke out of the home and installed two new smoke detectors.

“Depending on what is burning, fire can double in size every 30 seconds to a minute, so every second counts, especially in homes of older adults and children,” fire officials say according to the release. “Statistics show those 65 years of age and older, and those under five years of age, are more likely to be victims of fire.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2017 at 10:05 AM with the headline "A smoke detector made all the difference in this Burton residence fire."