ROCKLAND, Maine — Two house fires were quickly extinguished but could have had severe consequences if not for safety systems in each residence, the local fire chief said in a press release Monday.
The first fire call came in shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday when Rockland police officers heard an exterior bell connected to the sprinkler system as they passed by a home on Union Street.
A resident had dumped the contents of an ashtray into a plastic bag and left the bag on the first floor before going to bed on the second floor. The bag ignited within 30 minutes but was put out by an automatic sprinkler system. The activation of the sprinkler awoke the resident who came downstairs to begin a cleanup.
While the sprinkler alarm went off, Fire Chief Adam Miceli said that the only smoke detector found in the residence had not gone off during the fire. The chief said that could have been because the sprinklers doused the fire before enough smoke had been generated to activate the smoke alarm. He said that the fire was located near the stairs and that there was not a second exit.
The second fire was reported shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday when a cardboard box of magazines was placed too close to a wood stove and caught fire at a home on Old County Road, the chief said.
A smoke alarm activated and alerted the occupants who were asleep.
The residents called 911 but were able to put the fire out by themselves.
The chief pointed out in the press release that sprinklers and working smoke detectors save lives. He said that the American Red Cross is continuing to install smoke detectors at homes in the city upon request.