(Hidden Valley, Ind.) – Firefighters are crediting properly working smoke alarms for alerting a man to a fire in his Hidden Valley home as he slept.
Fire departments from Greendale and Bright were called to the home at 20343 Longview Drive at about 5:00 p.m. When they arrived they saw black smoke billowing from the two-story home’s garage.
The male homeowner was the only person there and was taking a nap when the fire started. He was woken up by the smoke alarms in his home, Greendale Fire Chief Shannon Craig said.
Bright EMS took the man to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Without the warning her received, the end result could have been much worse.
“This goes to show the importance of having working smoke detectors in your home,” Craig said.
Five cats were also in the home. Four were able to escape, but one perished.
Craig said the fire appeared to have originated in the home’s basement. The blaze had suffocated itself as oxygen in the basement ran out.
The cause remains under investigation by the Dearborn County Fire Investigation Team, but it was not set intentionally, Craig said.
The home’s basement was destroyed. Extensive smoke damage was spread through the first and second floors.
Firefighters were assisted at the scene by Hidden Valley Rangers and the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department.
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