In a classic case of things not to do, there’s always someone who decides to go against the most obvious: find out what’s causing an alarm. Article via the Wichita Eagle, KA.

The smoke detector sounded for hours before anyone on the southeast Wichita street called 911 early Tuesday.

By the time firefighters reached the triplex on Zimmerly, the man in the middle unit was dead.

Fire officials say it’s the second time this year that residents ignored a smoke detector’s alarm and the fire proved fatal.

“Can you believe that?” Wichita Fire Marshal Ed Bricknell said. “The alarm was activated, and people were disregarding the noise.”

A man in his 50s died in the fire, which was reported at 5:22 a.m. at 5112 E. Zimmerly and caused $15,000 in damage.

Investigators were awaiting the results of an autopsy to confirm the victim’s identity and how he died. Relatives also needed to be notified, Wichita Fire Capt. Brad Crisp said.

“There’s nothing suspicious about this fire,” Crisp said.

Tuesday’s fire raised the death toll in 2007 fires to eight — a 60 percent increase over the city’s annual average. Carelessness was a common denominator in most of them, investigators said.

Image courtesy of Authentic Parts.

Filed under: Fighting Fire, Proper Practices