Firefighters Canvass North Laurel Mobile Park Damaged by Blaze

Howard County firefighters offered safety information and free smoke detectors Monday at a North Laurel mobile home park recently ravaged by fire.

Responders from Savage Station 6 met with residents of Beechcrest Mobile Home Estates, which includes about 40 units in all. 

On Friday, six Beechcrest residents were displaced from their home by a fire that caused an estimated $10,000 of damage. 

Investigators—who believe the blaze was accidental—determined that the home did not have a working smoke detector.

In a statement, the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services offered the following safety tips to residents:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement, and both inside and outside of sleeping areas. Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries. 
• Push the test button and test alarms once a month using the test button. 
• Replace the entire alarm if it's more than 10 years old or doesn't work properly when tested. 
• Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home so that when one sounds, they all sound. Interconnected alarms are available at most stores that sell smoke alarms. 
• Make sure everyone in your home understands the warning of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.