By FireRescue1 Staff
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — A firefighter barely escaped his home after a hearing a smoke alarm sound off just before his house was engulfed in flames.
Grand Island firefighter Lonnie Mitteis was at home watching TV Saturday when his son heard the alarm. Mitteis and his son immediately evacuated the house before the fire spread.
“We were home. That [fire] was burning for hours,” Mitteis said. “We were home in the house, didn’t have a clue.”
According to NTV, the fire began in the basement and was started by a light fixture. Grand Island firefighters responded to the scene and brought the fire under control.
Mitteis said the smoke alarm is what saved him and his son; they could have been overcome with smoke within seconds. Following the fire, Mitteis stressed the importance of having smoke alarms in every home.
“Your family’s lives depend on these little tools here and that’s what they are — tools — and they work very well. We’re proof. We got out of the house in plenty of time, nobody got hurt. This stuff is replaceable, ” Matteis said.