The value of smoke alarms was illustrated in an incident about 5.30am on Wednesday last week.
Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Jeff Marshall said firefighters responded to a callout to a house at Hampstead filled with smoke.
The occupants heard a smoke alarm go off, so evacuated the premises and called emergency services.
The cause of the smoke was unattended cooking left on a stove, which had not yet burst into flames.
‘‘Had they not had smoke detectors, it could have turned into something a lot more serious,’’ Marshall said.
Firefighters at the scene used a fan to clear the smoke from the house.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand says on its website that for 40 per cent of residential fires attended by brigades last year, the homes did not have smoke alarms.
The fire authority recommends long-life photoelectric smoke alarms, as they are more effective than ionisation alarms at detecting slow smouldering fires.
‘‘Smoke from a house fire can kill in less than three minutes.’’
Alongside having a smoke alarm in an entrance/hallway, it recommends additional alarms in each bedroom, hallway and living area.
‘‘Don’t put a smoke alarm in your kitchen, where smoke from cooking could set it off – use a heat alarm here instead.’’
Smoke alarms are compulsory in all rental homes, as well as new builds and renovations.
In November 2023, updates were made to the New Zealand Building Code, with a 12-month transition period, requiring interconnected smoke alarms as the minimum fire safety system for new homes and substantial renovations.
