CAUTION: Check your smoke detectors.
That's the message firefighters from the Jennings Fire Department are spreading in the community following a severe house fire on Tuesday.
Fire Chief Ashley Navarre confirmed a house fire sparked in a home on 627 Fifth Street on Tuesday.
While the investigation continues, the homeowner told KATC the incident started from an electrical fire.
I reached out to neighbors in the area for comment on the matter.
Mariah Davis said she lives on Fifth Street and saw when her neighbor's house went up in flames.
"First we saw the smoke up in the air...a lot of smoke," Davis said. "Then, we walked down here and that's when we saw it was coming from the back of the house."
Rose and Felton Cormier said they've been homeowners on Fifth Street for more than 30 years and fires in the area are common. That's why, they decided to take precaution.
"Our house is small, it's like 900 square feet," Rose said. "We have five smoke detectors in the house."
Felton said he was home on Tuesday when his neighbor's home caught on fire and he saw first-hand how quickly a fire can destroy a home.
"I heard a noise," Felton said. "When I opened the door to look, the fire was already above the tree and the other house. "
While firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading and no deaths were reported, Fire Chief Ashley Navarre is stressing the importance of smoke detectors.
"We've seen countless times when smoke alarms have went off during fire situations and alerted the residents and they were able to exit out of the house safely," Navarre said.
Chief Navarre is partnering with the American Red Cross to distribute and install free smoke detectors for residents on April 13.
If you or someone you know is interested in a free smoke detector, please contact the Jennings Fire Department.
