Fire Prevention Week: A Family’s Story – One Family’s Experience Reinforces How Prevention, Preparedness, Practice Can Save Lives

Story by Kimberly Krsul.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) - Early actions prevent catastrophic outcomes.

My name is Kim. My husband and I work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District’s Construction Division. I enjoy my work with the district. As a family, I would say our lives are probably like most couples with children. We go to work, take care of our children, our home, we love, laugh, and enjoy life.

Then one night, our lives changed in a matter of minutes.

On the night of March 18, 2026, my husband, our two children, and I went to bed expecting to have a typical morning the next day. I was up a little later than usual getting ready for work and preparing things for our children.

A relative was staying with us overnight to help get the kids on the bus the following morning.

At approximately 12:30 a.m. on March 19, I was suddenly awakened by our relative, who was urgently trying to get my attention and get me outside. As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I could smell something burning, although I could not see flames inside the house.

When I went outside, I could see the siding on the back of our home was on fire. Our relative believed the fire had been fully extinguished, but I could still smell smoke inside the house. Instinctively, I knew we were dealing with a situation that could be much more serious than it appeared.

When I was younger, I served as a junior firefighter with a local municipality, so I had some familiarity with fire safety and emergency situations. I immediately called 9-1-1. The dispatcher instructed me to get everyone out of the house immediately.

I woke my husband and told our relative to wake up our daughter who’s 10 years old. Our son, who’s 6 years old, was still sound asleep, so my husband carried him outside. I grabbed Bella (our boxer puppy) and ran outside of the house.

Within approximately three minutes of my 9-1-1 call, police arrived. The responding sergeant showed me that the fire was still active on the side of our home. Although I knew I needed to get out, I was briefly allowed to retrieve a few essential items. In less than a minute, I grabbed our keys, my purse, my husband’s wallet, both children’s backpacks and iPads, my work laptop, my MacBook, and several important documents.

Once everyone was safely outside, I asked my husband to drive around the corner so the kids wouldn’t have to watch the flames coming through the roof. I wanted to protect them from as much trauma as possible.

How the Fire Started After we were safely out of the house, we learned what had happened.

Our relative had been outside on the deck smoking a cigarette. They believed the cigarette had been completely extinguished before placing it into a plastic container that had previously held dishwasher pods.

The container caught fire quickly. The fire spread from the container to the siding and then into the attic.

Multiple fire companies responded, and firefighters worked for approximately three hours before the fire was completely extinguished. Although the fire itself was contained in the attic, thousands of gallons of water were used to extinguish it, resulting in severe water damage throughout the home. The house was ultimately deemed uninhabitable.

The experience was a powerful reminder of how quickly a small fire can become a life-threatening emergency. Our fire inspector concluded that the cigarette had not been completely extinguished and that the number of cigarette butts inside the container contributed to the conditions that allowed the fire to spread.

The Importance of Fire Prevention Our family lost approximately 90-95 percent of our personal belongings. We are now facing a lengthy reconstruction process, but we are incredibly grateful for what matters most: everyone survived.

The experience has affected each member of our family differently. When I recently asked my son what affected him most about the fire, he became emotional and said, “We could’ve lost our lives but thanks to you, Mommy, for calling 9-1-1 and getting us all out safely.” Those words are something I will carry with me forever.

Our experience has also taught us that fire prevention is about more than simply having a fire extinguisher or smoke detector. It is about understanding how fires can start, recognizing potential hazards, preparing your family, protecting important belongings, and knowing exactly what to do when something goes wrong.

What Our Family Learned 1. Install smoke alarms throughout your home. Have smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level of your home. Consider additional protection in areas such as an attic when appropriate. In our case, the fire began in the attic, and none of our existing smoke alarms activated because the fire was not initially detected in the living areas. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends changing the batteries in your smoke detectors every six months. A common and easy reminder is to swap the batteries when you change your clocks in the spring and fall. If you hear a short, periodic chirp or beep, the battery is low and needs replacement right away. Press the test button once a month to ensure the alarm and battery work.

Learning from personal experience, we are going to add a heat alarm to our attic and garage. Heat alarms are designed to give reliable early warning of heat from a fire and are recommended for places where temperatures are lower than 40˚ F (4.4˚ C) or higher than 100˚ F (37.8˚C) in locations such as basements, garages, crawl spaces, attics, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, unfinished areas, etc. However, it is not recommended for places that are regularly below –20º F (–29º C) or regularly above 115º F (46º C).

Heat alarms on the other hand do not rely on detecting particles and while they can still be affected by humidity and dirt/dust, it is to a lesser extent than smoke alarms, they monitor the air and will alarm when the temperature reaches the fixed 135º F (57º C) trigger or when the microprocessor detects that the room temperature quickly rose by15º F (8.3º C) in a minute the latter allows the unit to detect heat rise and alert you prior to reaching the fixed temperature of 135º F (57º C), providing quicker response to a potential fire.

2. Install carbon monoxide alarms. Have carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home, particularly near sleeping areas. Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are also available. Install at least one CO detector on every level of your home and outside each separate sleeping area. Press the test button to check the alarm monthly. Replace most standalone carbon monoxide detectors every 5 to 10 years, depending on the manufacturer’s guidelines.

3. Develop and practice a fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household knows at least two ways out of each room (when possible), where to meet outside, and how to call 9-1-1. Children should know that once they are outside, they should stay outside.

4. Never underestimate a cigarette or other smoking material. A cigarette may appear to be extinguished while still containing enough heat to ignite combustible materials. If you smoke, use a proper, fire-resistant receptacle designed for cigarette disposal. Never place cigarette butts in plastic containers, trash, or other combustible materials. Our experience demonstrated just how quickly a seemingly small mistake can become a major fire.

5. Keep important documents protected. Consider using a fire- and water-resistant safe or another secure method to protect birth certificates, marriage licenses, insurance information, financial documents, and other irreplaceable records.

6. Digitally preserve photographs and important memories. If your photographs exist only as physical copies, consider scanning them and keeping digital backups. Our family lost many printed photographs in the fire, items that cannot simply be replaced.

7. Keep an inventory of valuable belongings. Photograph valuable items and maintain documentation such as receipts, appraisals, serial numbers, and other identifying information. This can make the insurance process significantly easier after a loss.

8. Review your homeowners or renter’s insurance. Do not assume you have adequate coverage. Review your policy periodically and understand your coverage limits, deductibles, personal property coverage, and any special coverage requirements for valuable items. Our experience showed us how important it is to have adequate insurance coverage before disaster strikes.

9. Know when to get out. If you see smoke or fire, do not take unnecessary risks trying to determine how serious the situation is or retrieve belongings like I did. Get everyone outside, call 9-1-1, and follow the instructions of emergency personnel.

10. Take trauma seriously. Surviving a house fire can have emotional effects long after the flames are gone. People may respond differently to a traumatic event, and some may not immediately express what they are feeling. Do not hesitate to seek support if you or someone in your family is struggling after a fire. If you experience trauma, seek help, such as an employee assistance program in your area.

One Final Reminder Fire Prevention Week is a good time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, review your escape plan, inspect potential fire hazards around your home, and talk with your family about what to do in an emergency. We never expected a normal night at home to turn into a life-threatening emergency. We were fortunate to wake up, recognize that something was wrong, call 9-1-1, and get everyone out safely.

We lost the inside of our home and most of our belongings, but we did not lose each other.

In the aftermath of the fire, I learned so much. Now, I’m dedicated to helping others avoid what my family went through. I partnered with our safety team to develop a fire prevention handout. I have valuable information that can help my co-workers learn how to protect their families and friends.

The National Fire Protection Association’s theme for Fire Prevention Week 2026 is safe charging. We charge our devices every day without thinking. Visit the NFPA website to learn more about safe charging practices and share these tips with your family: https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week.

Please take fire prevention seriously. Check your alarms. Change your batteries. Charge your devices safely. Have an escape plan. Practice it with your family. Never assume a small fire cannot become a major emergency. Be safe. Your life and the lives of others might depend on it.

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