Lucky Turn Of Events Helps Stop Wis. House Fire

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) -- Kenosha fire officials say a fire on the lower floor of a two-story home could have had tragic consequences if not for two extremely lucky factors.

Battalion Chief Matthew Haerter says a mother on the home's second floor was showing her son how to test the smoke detector Saturday morning. As it blared, a neighbor called to report a smoke detector going off.

Fire officials responded and discovered smoke coming from the first floor. No one was home on that floor so they broke in and found a small fire caused by careless use of candles. There was no smoke detector on that level.

Haerter says the fire could have gone undiscovered for minutes if the neighbor hadn't called. He says the outcome could have been tragic.

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