Fire destroys Galivants Ferry home, couple say smoke detectors saved their lives

A couple from Galivants Ferry credit their home’s smoke detectors with helping them escape an early morning fire that destroyed their home.

Kathy Dix, a local insurance agent, woke about 1 a.m. Thursday to the sound of smoke detectors in her home at 1574 Jonestown Road in Galivants Ferry, she said.

Horry County firefighters were called soon after and found flames and fire shooting from the attic of the single family home, said Leslie Yancey, Horry County Fire Rescue spokeswoman. The home was heavily damaged by fire, but no one was hurt during the incident.

Fire investigators tracked the origin of the blaze to the attic of the home, but the cause remains under investigation, Yancey said.

For Dix, the smoke detector was lifesaving when it woke her from a peaceful sleep and she woke her husband. Both were able to get out of the home safely in their pajamas, she said.

“I heard the alarm go off. At first I thought it was chirping because I thought the battery needed to be replaced. I pinched my husband and said do something,” Dix said Thursday. “He came racing back in and said `get dressed and we have to get out.’ Then, I realized I was smelling smoke.”

Thick, black smoke had quickly filled the home and Dix said she couldn’t see through the house, even though the electricity was still working and their lights in the living room were on. Dix said they never heard the fire because of its location in the attic of the home.

“If we had been in that house the smoke would have killed us in our sleep. Unlike the movies and because of where the fire was we did not hear it,” Dix said. “I was thinking this isn’t real. This isn’t real. This happens to other people.”

Dix, who works as an insurance agent, said she prides herself on educating homeowners about safety precautions especially having smoke detectors. But now she said she’s a real example of how detectors can save lives.

“I am telling everybody that I have spoken to . . . verify their smoke detectors are working by pressing the little red button,” Dix said. “It is now going to be my personal campaign. I can personally let them look at me … imagine me dead that could have happened Wednesday night.”

Yancey said, "Unfortunately, we do not hear from homeowners nearly enough that smoke detectors woke them to a working fire. Our hope at HCFR is to have any resident who has a fire to be alerted by smoke detectors. It is a matter of life and death. Smoke detectors are the first line of defense in life safety during a fire.

"It extremely important to have homeowners check their detectors,'' she said. ``A non-working detector cannot save a life. We encourage residents to check their detectors every 6 months. A good way to remember is when moving clocks back/ahead. Remember life expectancy on a smoke detector is ten years." More details will be posted as they become available.