Smoke alarms saved family from blaze that destroyed their Blue Springs home

A Blue Springs house was declared a total loss after a fire swept through the home Thursday morning.

No one was injured, which a fire official credited in part to smoke detectors.

“Smoke detectors, in this instance, did work,” said Deputy Chief Eddie Saffell with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District. “The family got out and that saved them from injury.”

Firefighters with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District responded to the blaze about 8:35 a.m. in the 2800 bock of Southwest Emerald Creek Place in Blue Springs.

When firefighters arrived, family members told them that smoke detectors had gone off. As they checked the house they saw smoke and fire inside the home, Saffell said.

When firefighters went around to the back of the house, they found heavy fire on the back of the house and in a basement room.

“It seemed that it had a good start,” Saffell said. “There was a lot of fire before we got to it. Once we were on scene, it moved rapidly through the house.”

As firefighters battled the blaze, a significant portion of the main floor collapsed into the basement, Saffell said.

One of the biggest challenges while fighting the blaze was that water started to freeze, covering the ground with ice. Two firefighters were checked out for minor injuries due to falling the ice.

Four adults lived in the house with a dog, Saffell said.

About 35 firefighters from the Central Jackson County and Prairie Township fire protection districts battled the blaze.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Smoke alarms saved family from blaze that destroyed their Blue Springs home."