[Press Release] : Smoke detector alerts residents of early morning fire

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Gary L. Warren Jr. - (573) 499-7035 

Smoke detector alerts residents of early morning fire

COLUMBIA, MO (April 13, 2008) - While an early morning fire at 208
Forrest Ave. remains under investigation, two residents are just glad
their smoke detectors actually woke them just before 2 a.m. Sunday
morning. Colin Gallagher and Barbara Holdren were asleep when a fire set
off the smoke detectors allowing the two enough time to exit the house.


Said Holdren (who lives upstairs in the residence), “I didn’t know
what was going on when the smoke detector sounded, but there was a lot
of smoke upstairs.” 

The two were able to exit the residence without injury to them or their
pets.

After Holdren placed the call to 9-1-1, firefighters quickly arrived to
find smoke coming from the eves of the house and a light switch just
inside the east entrance. The house posed a unique challenge for
firefighters because it is balloon frame construction. Balloon frame
construction often allows quick fire spread from floor to floor because
it has no stops in the walls between levels of a house. However,
firefighters were able to find and extinguish the fire and any
extension. 

At this time no information is available regarding the official cause
of the fire or a damage estimate. This fire is currently under
investigation and more information will follow in a subsequent media
release.

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