Firefighters warn the community to test their smoke detectors after fire rips through three Springfield, Mo. homes – KY3

SPRINGFIELD,Mo. (KY3) -- The Springfield Fire Department is reminding you to check your smoke detectors after a fire damaged three mobile homes Thursday afternoon.

According to Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington, the last time the fire department delivered free smoke detectors to the neighborhood in northwest Springfield was in November 2018.

Thursday, three homes caught on fire and none of them had a working smoke detector.

Everyone inside the homes on West Atlantic escaped without injury thanks to neighbors knocking on their doors.

"You've go three minutes from when the fire starts until your window for escape is small or nonexistent," Pennington said. " In that three minutes it's whether you've been notified or not the clock starts when the fire starts."

He said it's smart to test your smoke detectors often, which can be as simple as pressing a button.

"Test them at least annually, but monthly is my preference as the chief that's what I do in my home," Pennington said.

Council member Phyllis Ferguson said the city created "zone blitz" in northwest Springfield to solve problems like an influx in fires.

"Public safety is always of great concern," Ferguson said. "We looked at what was going on in the northwest quadrant in Springfield and we identified some things that we could do to make it a safer area."

One of the solutions they came up with is "Project Red Zone." Firefighters go door-to-door to install and test smoke alarms for people in the community. The services are free of charge.

Pennington said the neighborhood on the city's north side was one of the their first targets, but isn't the only one to reap the benefits.

"Smoke alarms are available at all times, whether you're in the Project Red Zone area or not," he said. "[Call] 417-874-2300... and they'll get you to us."

Pennington said the fire department will circle back to the neighborhood if it needs to, but in the mean time firefighters will be canvassing a few new neighborhoods.

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Firefighters warn the community to test their smoke detectors after fire rips through three Springfield, Mo. homes - KY3