IFD urging homes to get working smoke alarms following 6th fire-related death of 2023

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Fire Department is urging homeowners to install smoke alarms in their homes and for renters to urge their landlords to install smoke alarms following the sixth fire-related death in Indianapolis this month.

On Tuesday, a 60-year-old woman and her dog died in a house fire in the 1200 block of Irvington Avenue on the east side. Her death is the sixth of 2023.

In 2022, there were a total of six fire-related deaths all year.

2023 has already matched 2022 with the following deaths:

• One person at 9004 E. 18th Street
• Three people at 2847 Elwin Drive
• One person at 2424 W. 61st Street

On Tuesday, IFD Fire Investigators confirmed there were no working smoke alarms installed in the house in the 1200 block of N Irvington Ave.

They found a working carbon monoxide detector and several purchased smoke alarms in their original packaging, however.

The fire was ruled accidental with the cause being electrical.

IFD Public Information Officer Rita Reith shared the department's concerns over the tragic trend they have seen in the IFD district. In three of the fires, where a total of five people died, no working smoke alarms were found in the structure.

"The IFD believes that one fire fatality in our district is one too many," Reith said. "The fact that we have had six fire fatalities in one month ... is very concerning to us."

IFD wants the community to know there is help in obtaining and having smoke alarms installed.

"Contact us please. We're there for you. We'll help you install them; we'll look at the ones in your home. We'll help you with your safety plan — knowing how to get out of your home [and] having a plan of where your children will meet at," IFD Division Chief Michael Beard said.

If you live in the IFD service district and need a smoke alarm, you can request one here. You can also contact IFD with questions or concerns.

Beard says having working smoke detectors can decrease the risk of fire-related death by half.

“The main reason people die in fires is smoke inhalation because it's what gets through the home and incapacitates the people inside the home before the fire actually reaches you. So you may not be burning, but the smoke is what gets you. Smoke alarms will alert you to that, even if you’re sleeping," Beard said.

Per the city ordinance passed in April 2014, each home is required to have one 10-year sealed battery smoke alarm per floor. The NFPA recommends one smoke alarm outside each sleeping room as well.

If requested, the IFD will install a 10-year sealed lithium battery smoke alarm. Alarms for those who are deaf or hard of hearing are available as well.

"Our goal is to keep people safe, to save the lives of our community," Beard said. "Put your smoke alarms in, test them monthly and make sure that they meet the manufacturer's requirements."