Fruitland woman safely escapes home fire

A smoke detector saved the life of a Fruitland woman Friday morning, fire officials said.

Becky DuBois was alone in the upstairs bathroom of her home at 194 Kyle Drive at about 7:30 a.m. when she heard the alarm from her smoke detector, said Fruitland Fire District chief Dean Riley.

According to Riley, she opened the door to find the second-floor hallway filled with smoke. She closed the door and called 911, Riley said.

Firefighters advised her to get out of the house if possible. So she wrapped a wet towel around her head, and that of her pug dog, and felt her way through the smoke to the stairwell, where she followed the handrail downstairs and escaped outside, Riley said.

"She was outside by the time we got there," he said. DuBois and her dog were unharmed.

Riley said the fire, contained in a room on the second floor, was quickly extinguished. While the house sustained some damage from flames, most of the damage was from smoke and water, making the house unlivable, Riley said.

"It will take a few days before it's livable," he said.

Riley said the house had a smoke detector wired to the electrical system in the house, which he credited for saving the woman's life.

"Without that, it could have been really bad," he said.

Riley said the cause of the fire was as yet undetermined.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127