Farmington Kids Escape House Fire; Public Safety Credits Prevention Program

A fire prevention program taught in Farmington area schools may have saved the lives of two children who escaped a Tuesday morning house fire in the 21400 block of Birchwood, Farmington Public Safety Director Bob Schulz said. 

According to a press release, the 10-year-olds were left in the home after their father left for work some time after 4:30 a.m. The children awoke to the sound of alarms and, when they encountered dense smoke, dropped to the floor, crawled out of the house and went to a neighbor to report 
the fire, just as they were taught.

“We strongly believe the fire prevention program that was conducted in the schools this last fall had a positive effect on helping save these two children, as both recalled attending the education program," Schulz said.

Public safety officers arrived at the home at 6:10 a.m. to find a fire in the first floor kitchen. While working to extinguish that blaze, they found an intense fire burning in the basement. 

Given the single-digit temperatures and difficult working conditions, mutual aid units from Farmington Hills Fire Department were called. Crews extinguished the basement fire, after chasing several fires burning in the walls, according to the release. 

No firefighters were injured, and the Oakland County Fire Investigation Unit is helping Farmington Public Safety determine the cause and origin of the fire.