Relative of two women killed in New Brighton fire hopes tragedy reinforces importance of smoke detectors

Loved ones are remembering two women killed in a house fire in New Brighton this week.

Firefighters received a call around 2 a.m. Wednesday from one of the women inside the home, according to Kip LaMotte, New Brighton Public Safety Fire Marshal.

When crews arrived, flames were shooting from a window on the upper floor in front of the home, used as a craft room.

LaMotte said the fire prevented the women from escaping through the front door.

“They would have had to go through the fire to get out the front door, so they were kind of stuck in the bedrooms,” LaMotte said.

After removing the women from the home, firefighters attempted to save their lives, but both later died in hospital.

The victims are identified as Diana Davies, 78, and Maya Davies, 37.

LaMotte noted that no smoke alarms were installed on that level of the house.

“They didn’t get enough notice to be able to save themselves and that’s difficult,” LaMotte said. “The chances of survival increase by 50% if you have a working smoke detector in your home. »

“My brain just doesn't want to accept it all the way through,” said Heather Amo, Diana's daughter and Maya's sister. “The world is a little less bright because my mother and my sister are no longer there. »

She hopes both women will be remembered as “helpers.”

She said Diana Davies was passionate about equality and closing the gaps for those who are disadvantaged, while Maya Davies worked as an aide at a German immersion school and ran several after-school clubs for children.

While dealing with the tragic loss of her family members, she hopes this will remind everyone to have working smoke detectors.

“If what happened to them prevents this from happening to someone else, to someone else's family, from suffering like we did, that would be incredible,” Amo said.

LaMotte shared this tip from New Brighton Public Safety:

• Smoke detectors should be tested monthly.
• Smoke detector batteries should be changed at least once a year.
• All smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on every level of the house, including the basement.
• Interconnect your home smoke detectors. This way, when one rings, they all ring.
• Teach children to recognize the sound of the smoke detector and to leave the house when it sounds.
• Place alarms on the ceiling. If alarms are wall-mounted, they should not be located more than 12 inches below the ceiling.

He added: “Detectors now have manufacturing dates stamped on them, so if your smoke detector doesn’t have a date on it, it’s too old. Additionally, if your alarm is 20 years old, when you change the batteries and test it, you are only testing the audibility of that alarm. You are not testing the smoke sensor. These are only intended to last 10 years, so if you have a smoke detector that is more than 10 years old, there is a good chance that it will not work. The sensor will not detect smoke or prompt residents to exit.

The Fire Marshal is still investigating the cause of this fire, but it has been ruled accidental.