WHITE HALL, Md. — Vehicles driving along Norrisville Road in White Hall on Saturday afternoon spotted flames shooting out of a house and slowed down to repeatedly honk their horns.
A simple act, which may have saved the lives of a couple and their grandson who were unaware of the fire.
Honking horns help a family in White Hall escape from a house fire
“What we discovered was actually the occupants were located on the first floor when they heard horns honking that certainly raised their suspicions,” said Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire, “As they looked out, people were telling them to get out of their house. Their house was on fire. When she stepped out, she looked up. She saw the entire balcony completely engulfed in flames.”
We spoke to a longtime neighbor who did not wish to be identified, but he says he spotted the fire, ran to the house to make sure the people had got out and then helped them save their pets.
While investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire, it’s what they didn’t find inside, which left the family so vulnerable had the motorists not raised an alarm.
“They actually had no smoke alarms at all,” explained Alkire, “This is something we really want to emphasize. In this day and age, please contact your local fire department. Let us, the state fire marshals, know. We actually have a very active program called ‘Get Alarmed Maryland’ where you can log on to our website, request a smoke alarm and we’ll try to have one out to you within 48 hours.”
