Sadly, this was no April Fool joke. The news from Easter Sunday was that a woman died in her home in Cheverly, MD. She was in her 50’s or 60’s and was found at the bottom of her stairs. The home was hoarded and did not have a working smoke detector. The clutter made it difficult for the fire fighters to get into the home and officials said that it also may have fueled the fire.

When we are in hoarded homes we find that there are often issues with non-functioning equipment – water, heat, etc. It is also incredibly rare to find a working smoke or carbon monoxide detector. And it’s not just us. No matter the condition of the home or business, we always stress that the owner should have a working smoke detector. If you don’t, please get one as soon as possible. We’d really appreciate it.