NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Hendersonville Fire Department is investigating what started a fire that claimed the life of a woman who lived there.
Firefighters rushed to the home Wednesday around 2 p.m. on Harbor Drive to find the home on fire. One of the homeowners safely made it out but told crews his wife was still trapped inside.
Fire Chief Scotty Bush said crews rushed in to save her, but it was too late.
Investigators still aren't sure what caused the fire, but they do know there were no working smoke detectors in the house.
"There are indications that space heaters were in the house — gas heaters not really space heaters, but gas heaters," he said. "Not sure yet if they were in use or not. That's part of the investigation process that we're doing now. At this point, we've seen no indications of any working smoke detectors."
Bush said everyone needs a working smoke alarm on every level of their home.
"Nine times out of 10, that's an alert for folks inside of a home. And that makes our job much easier when we know that everybody's out of the house versus if we have somebody in the house because we're going to risk a lot to save a lot," he said.
Every year as the temperatures fall, the risk of a house fire goes up.
If you don't have a smoke detector or don't know how to install it, call your local fire department. They should be able to help, officials said.
Bush said the department will come and install them for free.
"Over the last two years, we've given out over 250,000 smoke detectors in the state of Tennessee alone and saved over 300 lives and those are confirmed saves due to smoke detectors installed in people's homes," said Bush.
It's also a good reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detectors every six months.
