An Arnold woman and her pets safely escaped a home this morning (Dec. 23) after a fire started in the basement. The woman heard a smoke alarm go off while she was in a bedroom with the door closed, the Rock Community Fire Protection District reported.
Rock Fire was called at 6:17 a.m. to the 600 block of Washington Drive in Arnold. The first truck arrived at 6:25 a.m., and firefighters saw smoke coming from the east side of the house, the report said.
Firefighters entered the home and saw flames coming from the basement stairs. They went to the basement and quickly extinguished the fire, according to the report.
The woman said she was home alone because a man, who also lives at the house, was at work. She also said after she heard her smoke alarm, she opened the bedroom door and saw smoke throughout the house, Rock Fire reported.
She told firefighters she was able to get out of the house with her pets and go to a neighbor’s house, the report said.
Rock Fire has not reported the cause of the fire, but spokeswoman Stephanie Jackson said it has been ruled an accident.
Jackson said the man and woman will be temporarily displaced due to the fire.
She also said it was good that the woman had her bedroom door closed.
“We have been pushing that as a safety measure,” Jackson said. “It was why she didn’t have any smoke in her room. Had the fire been on the main floor, it could have spread to her room. Having your bedroom door when you are sleeping can save you life. It also was important that the house had working smoke detectors in the basement. It was overall a win.”
Rock Fire was assisted by the Mehlville Fire Protection District and Rock Township Ambulance District.