JACKSONVILLE, Ark. – The American Red Cross is stressing the importance of having life-saving alarms installed in your homes, saying that every day seven people die in a house fire.
Larry Cloninger’s house burned down.
“My neighbor, she called up and said, ‘Larry your house is on fire’ scariest words you want to hear,” Cloninger said.
Larry Cloninger received a call at work that his home was in flames, once he arrived, there was nothing he could do.
“Cause as a dad I’m sitting there going, what I am going to do, I mean I’ve got one pair of clothes on, I’ve got my brother to take care, I’ve got my two daughters, my wife.” Cloninger said.
Cloninger is thankful his family is safe, but says that if someone had been home, he might still have his beloved pets.
“The alarm would’ve went off, and who knows I might’ve been able to put the fire out before it had spread,” Cloninger said.
Lori Arnold-Ellis, Executive Director of the Greater Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross, says their goal is to make sure people have emergency needs met after tragedies.
“Over 90% of the disasters we respond to are residential fires in people’s homes,” Arnold-Ellis said.
This is why she says it’s so vital to have lifesaving alarms in place and Cloninger agrees.
“So please if you’re going to build a house, put as many fire alarms in there as possible,” Cloninger said.
The Sound the Alarm Campaign will be held in Jacksonville, Ark., on Saturday, October 7th, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
They will be installing free smoke alarms and educating the community on the importance of having a fire safety plan.
To request a smoke alarm install, you can visit RedCross.org.