Most house fires are unexpected and can quickly grow out of control. Unfortunately, far too many of these fires result in injuries or deaths, like the recent blaze in Ashland this week. In that case, investigators determined that the home was not equipped with a smoke alarm.

Smoke alarms are a simple step that families and individuals can take that can save lives if the tragedy of a fire does strike. And money does not need to be an impediment to safeguarding your family.

According to statistics from FEMA and the National Fire Protection Association, there were 1,298,00 fires in the U.S. in 2014, resulting in 3,275 deaths. While fires, and fire related deaths, have been on a downward trend nationwide, with fires down 22.7 percent and deaths down 11.7 percent over the last 10 years of available data, any injuries or deaths are always a somber reminder of just how powerful a fire can be.

The Ohio River Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross provides smoke detectors and installation at no cost. They recently celebrated the installation of their 1,000th, hitting the milestone in just seven months. But there are still many families who are not protected. If you don’t have smoke detectors in your home, we urge you to call the Red Cross at 740-354-3293, or 1-800-RED-CROSS and schedule an installation.

Fires are always tragic, but things can be replaced. You and your family cannot.