A Stratford family asleep at their home when a fire started on the front porch made it out safely thanks to a Good Samaritan who called 911 and pounded on the door to wake them up.
According to the fire department, a passerby caught sight of the flames at 108 Patterson Avenue just before 12:30 a.m.
The witness told dispatchers smoke and flames were coming from the porch and basement area, then started banging on the front door to wake up the residents, who were sleeping inside, fire officials said. There were no working smoke detectors in the home.
Firefighters said the residents’ son sleeping on the first floor heard the banging and went to wake up his parents, who were upstairs in a second-floor bedroom. The family made it out safely while fire crews headed to the scene.
According to the fire department, the son said he had smelled smoke earlier in the evening when he returned home from work but hadn’t notified authorities or checked its source.
Nineteen firefighters managed to knock down the flames within about an hour, firefighters said. Damage was contained to the front porch and the family returned home after firefighters left.
Residents are urged to check the batteries in their smoke detectors and replace smoke detectors after 10 years. Firefighters installed new smoke detectors at the Patterson Avenue home before leaving the scene.
