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Crime & Safety

Smoke Detector Alerts Neighbor to Fire in Napa

A Napa woman walking her dog Monday night came back to find firefighters mopping up after a candle sparked a fire in her home. The sound of her smoke detector had alerted her neighbor, who called 911, a fire captain said.

An alert Napa man who heard his neighbor's smoke alarm sounding Monday afternoon and called for help while deploying the building's fire extinguisher is being credited with averting serious damage after a candle sparked a blaze on Ash Street near Randolph.

The resident of the home, one of three units on the property, was walking her dog when a candle left burning on a desk ignited a fire, said Napa Fire Department Capt. Jim Pope.

Neighbor Jim Jude heard an alarm, saw light smoke and called 911 to report a fire while grabbing the building's externally-mountain fire extinguisher to begin fighting the flames, Pope said.

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"He took immediate action," Pope said. 

Three fire engines and a total of 13 personnel responded to Jude's 4:47 p.m. call, Pope said.

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"All the things worked together" to prevent serious damage to the home: The smoke alarm, the fire extinguisher, Jude's quick work and the fire department, Pope continued.

The incident is a reminder to residents that they should replace old smoke detector batteries and use candles safely, Pope said.

He added that Christmas tree lights can also be a fire hazard. Click here for Christmas tree safety tips.

Have you ever been alerted to a fire by a smoke detector?Tell us in the comments.

For all our latest fire coverage, please see our Fire Watch topic page at napavalley.patch.com/topics/Fire-Watch.

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