Ten fatalities in fires is more than a doubling in one year. Most victims appear to be men in statistics across the country. Most fires also occur at night. “This once again points to the importance of sufficient and clearly audible smoke detectors,” says Peter Van Rossum of the Oscare aftercare and research center. “When people sleep, their sense of smell also sleeps. A smoke detector takes over that warning function. In the event of a fire, you only have three minutes on average to leave your home safely.”
