A Saint John area man who narrowly escaped with his life when a fire engulfed his home is sharing his story.
Jake Palmer of Rothesay, N.B. was saved by a smoke alarm two weeks ago but he said it was luck alone that allowed him to get out alive.
READ MORE: House fire in Wirral, N.B. claims two lives
It was an electrical fire in the basement that sparked a blaze that took keepsakes and memories but no lives.
Palmer said he was awakened by a smoke filled bedroom.
Palmer said most people don’t know the age of their smoke alarms and batteries and don’t have a proper escape plan.
READ MORE: Make your home safer with these 5 tips
Kennebecasis Valley fire officials say even though they were on scene within minutes of the 911 call the house was fully involved, meaning every second counts.
“With the contents of our homes these days, a lot of plastics in our home, a lot of things are made of plastic, things burn faster and we just simply don’t have the time to get out of a house now that we did maybe 20, 30 years ago,” said Mike Boyle with the K.V. Fire Department.
That means having the proper number of working smoke alarms in the home.
“If you have a working smoke alarm in your household within New Brunswick the statistics will show your chance of survival are more than four times greater if you have … just one working smoke alarm,” said Douglas Brown, New Brunswick’s fire marshal.
READ MORE: Fall back, check your smoke alarms: Fire officials
The Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department is among those that actually offer free home inspections for homeowners in their jurisdiction.
Palmer continues to count his blessings, especially knowing his seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son were supposed to be in the house with him that night.
“At night the nightmares will remind me of how the different ways that could have played out because it’s pretty awful,” Palmer said.
He said he plans to rebuild on the property. The home, which has been in his family nearly 60 years, will be demolished.
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