Smoke detectors save family whose home was gutted by flames

Just one month before Christmas, a Valley family is forced to find a new place to live, after a fire swept through their home, overnight.

The fire happened overnight, near 7th Street in Broadway Road in South Phoenix. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the attic.

Smoke detectors inside the home managed to wake the family, and allowed them to escape.

"Well, we put in smoke detectors before people moved in," said Maintenance Supervisor Frank Linnartz. "Every bedroom, kitchen and hallway, we put smoke detectors, so when the people move in, either five or 6 in there and we test them out, and they worked perfect."

Firefighters knocked back the smoke and flames, but the house was gutted. A mom and kids inside got out.

"What I understand, these people were woken up by smoke detectors. There was hardly any smoke in house, they are so sensitive they went off and everybody walked away freely," said Linnartz. "She actually did not smell any smoke. The detectors went off, she went outside and realized her house was on fire in the attic. So, it is so important somebody spends $12 for a smoke detector. Put it in the house. It will save your life."

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.