In news from stuff.co.nz out of New Zealand, a recent blaze that had firefighters battling flames late into the night nearly claimed lives instead of just property. 

According to the story, a man staying a vacation property/campsite called Old MacDonald’s Farm was awakened by the “popping” sound of the fire consuming the cottage he was in.

“He had smoke alarms, but no batteries in them. It was only the sound of popping from the fire that woke him up. With the fire blocking his escape route, the man was forced to take an “alternative route” out of the building,” The story reads. “‘He was very lucky to get out with his life,'” A local fire official said.

The story notes the blaze was sizeable and necessitated a large, coordinated response from first responders.

“Thirteen volunteer fire crews attended an early morning fire at Old Macdonald’s Farm Holiday Park in Marahau on Saturday,” A fire official said in the story. “Volunteer firefighters from all around the region attended the fire, and crews used six pumping appliances and five tankers to subdue the blaze.”

This man was very lucky. The highly-trained pros at Norris Inc. beg you to put at least smoke detectors in place and regularly test and replace the batteries.

This fire, while a huge loss for the commercial property could have been much worse with the loss of life.

Contact a Systems Integrator at Norris today and find out how we can help to keep you, your customers, your staff, faculty, students and/or visitors safer.

What is Norris all about?

Norris, Inc.—a Saco, Maine-based life-safety and security systems integrator with satellite offices in Bangor, Maine; Lee, New Hampshire; and Burlington, Vermont—was founded nearly 40 years ago by two brothers, Brad and Harty Norris.

On February 28, 2020 Norris Inc was acquired by Minuteman Security Technologies Inc.  Minuteman Security Technologies Inc. (Minuteman), headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts and founded in 1998, is a leading provider of enterprise security technology solutions. Minuteman security systems are used by a wide range of organizations throughout the United States. Customers include law enforcement, energy companies, mass transit, large retail chains, academic institutions, public safety agencies, and community hospitals with regional offices from Maine to Illinois.