Smoke Alarms Credited For Saving Joppa Family's Life From Garage Fire

JOPPA, MD — Firefighters were called to a Joppa home in the early morning hours Tuesday for a report of a fire.

The call for help came through around 2:27 a.m. July 29 for a fire at a garage attached to a two-story home located in the 200 block of Doncaster Road. Thirty firefighters with the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company arrived and attacked the fire, which was under control within 10 minutes. The family wasn't displaced because firefighters were able to limit the fire's damage to the garage, the State Fire Marshal's Office reported.

"A family of three was awoken by a smoke alarm and discovered a fire inside their garage. The family, firefighters and fire investigators credit the working smoke alarm for allowing them to escape the home. This save comes less than eight hours after fire sprinklers in another Joppa home on Staysail Drive were credited for saving a family's life," the state fire marshal's office stated.

Damages and loss of contents has been estimated at $50,000, according to the state fire marshal's office. The cause of the fire is being investigated.