Effort to check homes for smoke alarms leads to life-saving discovery

A Milwaukee alderwoman happened to be in the right place at the right time. JoCasta Zamarripa could smell gas as she passed by a home while canvassing a neighborhood. Two adults and three children had to be evacuated. 

The alderwoman was knocking on doors in the Clarke Square neighborhood to make sure residents had working smoke alarms. That is when she noticed a woman trying to get her attention.

"She just touched her nose and said smell and we could smell it," Zamarripa said.

JoCasta Zamarripa

That smell was gas.

"We stayed there in the vicinity and tried to knock the doors immediately adjacent to us to figure out which house it was," Zamarripa said.

Zamarripa also made sure firefighters were called to the home.

"They identified which house it was. There were residents in the home who didn’t realize there was a leak. They couldn’t smell it," Zamarripa said.

Milwaukee's Acting Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said the incident could have turned deadly.

"When you reach that explosive limit the chemistry of it all right? And then you add that spark to it you have what mimics an explosion," Lipski said.

Acting Fire Chief Aaron Lipsk

Lipski said he is grateful the alderwoman was there.

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"We wanted to make sure we recognize that being out in the community sometimes is more than just what you thought you were there to do and in this case lives truly were saved," Lipski said.

Again, the reason the alderwoman was in the neighborhood was to make sure homes had working smoke alarms. If you need assistance getting a smoke alarm, you are invited to call 414-286-8980.

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