Burton fire crews responded to a house fire in the 300 block of Pine Grove Rd. in Burton just before 1 a.m. Saturday the 21st of February, and arrived on scene to find the family safely outside their burning home. 
A smoke detector woke the sleeping family as smoke began filling their home and a growing fire raged in a nearby room. The family was able to escape and call 911. The fire exploded through the room’s window as Burton firefighters arrived on scene.
Firefighters were able to confine the fire to the room of origin and were assisted by the room’s door being closed and confining the fire until firefighters arrived, however the single wide mobile home suffered smoke and heat damage throughout. No injuries were reported.
The fire is believed to have been caused by an overloaded power strip. Firefighters are reminding residents to be aware of the maximum load of their power strips, and to ensure no more plugs are utilized than the power strip is designed for. Clean and inspect your power strips regularly.
Burton fire officials are also utilizing this fire as an example of the importance of working smoke detectors, having a family escape plan, and closing all home doors when you go to bed or leave the house. On Sunday night, another Burton family made a narrow escape due to the fact that they didn’t have smoke detectors.
“In the first fire the smoke detector woke the family who was able to escape safely and call 911, that also allowed us to get there sooner and save the home,” stated Murray who was among the first to arrive at the fire. “Last night there were no smoke detectors and things ended much differently, and also was only seconds away from being very tragic.”
Burton fire officials are again stressing the importance of having working smoke detectors in your home that have battery backup. “Do it for your family,” stated Murray.
