Investigators in Surrey are trying to determine the cause of a fire that killed an elderly couple early Sunday morning.
It’s believed the couple, both in their 70s, passed away after smoking material lit a couch on fire in the top floor of their home near 94th Avenue and 157th Street.
The upper level sustained extensive damage, which leads investigators to believe there was no working smoke alarm.
“Based on the evidence we have found, it was likely smoking material occurred there,” Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis told Global News. “So we have been able to determine that the smoke detector in this home was of original installation, or at least of that era, which would be about 25 years old, and our recommendation is to change them every 10 years. We are thinking that it probably would not have been working.”
But what happened to the senior couple is all too common in this province.
Even though smoke detectors are prevalent in most homes — 70 percent of alarms don’t work because they’re not regularly tested.
“We can say that our senior population is the most vulnerable to death and injuries in terms of fires,” says Garis. “They represent 32 per cent of all the deaths in the last five years in British Columbia and yet they only represent about 15 per cent of the population, so they are twice as likely under those statistics to be killed in a fire.”
Fire departments in B.C. are now suggesting the province’s insurance act be amended.
It would mean British Columbians would have to sign a declaration they have a functioning smoke alarm when they get insurance.
It’s not meant to assign liability, but rather remind and educate the public.
Comments