Blaze in Henderson home without smoke alarms displaces 6

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Saturday, July 16, 2016 | 1:50 p.m.

Fire officials are reminding the public about the importance of smoke detectors after a Henderson house blaze displaced six people Friday night.

It took a 15-year-old girl to wake up to the smell of smoke to evacuate the house in the 900 block of Moore Oaks Court, near Galleria Drive and North Boulder Highway, officials said.

Henderson firefighters were called about 10:10 p.m. By the time they arrived, the girl and three other children — ages 1, 8, and 9 — were already out of the house, officials said. Crews quickly put out the bedroom fire.

The blaze is believed to have begun when one of the children played with matches, officials said. The children, two adults and two pets were displaced from the house, which suffered an estimated loss of $80,000.

Investigators determined the house did not have functioning smoke detectors and are reminding the public to test the detectors at least once a year, change batteries often and replace units older than 10 years, officials said. Families should have an escape plan and meeting place outside the building in case of a fire.