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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Two Champaign homes were destroyed by house fires and two families are now left to recover all within just one week. Now, the Champaign Fire Department plans to use the incidents as a teachable moment.
Right now, the department is really urging people to pay attention to fire safety and their fire alarms. In at least one of the fires, there were no working smoke alarms in the house.
A fire breaking out, followed by a neighbor making an emergency call and then fire crews showing up to victims on the lawn burned — this happened twice for the Champaign Fire Department in the same week.
The person from the April 11th afternoon fire is still recovering in Springfield’s burn center.
“Working smoke alarms reduce your chance of dying in a house fire by 50 percent,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Jeremy Mitchell.
Officials say there were no smoke alarms in the house, but Mitchell said the area has been seeing a positive trend with 30% fewer building fires.
“It’s unusual in the last week to have had two events where we had the residents of Champaign injured, so we’re trying to get out ahead of a potential problem,” Mitchell said.
The other fire happened early on Monday morning. When crews arrived, they said heavy smoke and fire were coming out of the mobile home. The two people who lived inside, like with the first fire, were already outside and burned.
“The thing people tend to not understand about fire is you have less time than you think,” Mitchell said.
He added that these unfortunate situations are the best way to remind people of the importance of overall fire safety for themselves and their neighbors.
“The recency effect of having a fire on your block drives home the safety message for other homeowners,” Mitchell said. “So, you want to get out there and make sure because you have that visceral impact of seeing that fire when you look out your front window.”
The fire department will canvas both neighborhoods on Thursday. They will be at Joanne Lane, where the first fire happened, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and at Windsor Road at the New Century Estates from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The fire department will go door to door, ensuring homes have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. They will also install them if needed. They’re also encouraging volunteers to get involved.
