Fire Chief: House fire could have been ‘horrific’

No one was injured Sept. 20 in a house fire at 4703 Farley Drive in Mentor, but Mentor Fire Chief Robert M. Searles said it could have been “horrific” since the home did not have working fire detectors. Searles said all four family members — including a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old — were able to make it out of the home after the father woke up in the middle of the night and saw the fire.

The Fire Department received the call at 3:34 a.m. Crews were on scene at 3:38 and the fire was under control at 3:57.

Searles lauded the work of Lt. Chad Lee and the first crew in with support from the Grand River Fire Department and two additional Mentor fire crews.

“This fire was nearly horrific and I can’t stress enough the importance of working smoke detectors,” Searles said.

This was the second close-call the Mentor department has had this year. The other one also involved a home without working smoke detectors.

“The City of Mentor and Fire Department have pushed so much to get the message out ‘that working smoke detectors save lives’ and that we will provide them if you need them and yet we have had two near misses this year,” Searles said.

The chief is asking residents to check their smoke detectors and if any resident needs a smoke detector or help checking to call the department.

“In partnership with some of our local businesses we will provide any resident in need with a working smoke detector,” he said. “Our primary mission is to prevent harm and we are very lucky yesterday’s fire was not more tragic… it is unsettling to know that next time we may not be so fortunate… please help us help you. If any resident needs help to ensure they have working smoke detector in their home call us at 440974-5768.”

The Sept. 20 fire is believed to be electrical in nature, according to preliminary findings.