Mid-City Residents Urged To Install Smoke Detectors To Prevent Fire Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Fire officials were expected Wednesday to launch a new safety campaign following a string of deadly fires in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports the campaign from the Los Angeles Fire Department will urge residents to have smoke detectors installed in every room of their homes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, seven people have died in residential fires in January even as average winter temperatures across the Southland have been unseasonably warm.
Four of those deaths included parents and two children killed in a blaze at a converted barn in Sylmar, according to The Times.
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The average number of deaths at this early point in the year is typically around one to two, The Times reported.
In each fatality, officials found no working smoke detectors inside the victims' homes.
"Smoke always kills, products of combustion kill," said LAFD Battalion Chief Stephen Ruda. "That's why it's important to have those smoke detectors."
In addition to the public education campaign, LAFD officials also plan to solicit smoke detector manufacturers for donations, The Times reported.