Garage fire safety: Heat detector or smoke alarm?

UTAH

Oct 14, 2024, 10:02 AM | Updated: 10:23 am

A firefighter hoses down the garage of Noel Piri's home that was destroyed by the Hawarden Fire in Riverside, Calif., on Sunday, July 21, 2024. How should you protect your garage from fires? It might be a good idea to install a heat detector in your garage, according to firefighters. (Terry Pierson/The Orange County Register via AP)Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Terry Pierson/The Orange County Register via AP)

BY TAMMY KIKUCHI

KSLNewsRadio

SALT LAKE CITY — It might be a good idea to install a heat detector in your garage to help prevent a fire.

Recent garage fires have people questioning whether smoke alarms should be installed in their garages.

Murray City Fire Chief Joey Mittleman said smoke alarms can mistake car exhaust for smoke.

“Not all smoke detectors are going to go off with vehicles in and out, but it does set us up for false alarms,” he said.

Mittleman said if there are too many false alarms, they can create complacency. He suggested that homeowners install heat detectors that interconnect to the smoke alarms in the house instead.

However, he said a clean garage is the best protection against a fire.

“Typically, clean garages don’t light on fire as often as a dirty garage does,” Mittleman said. “So that’s our number one thing that we can push out. Please keep your garages clean and organized.”

Additionally Mittleman said if the home has an accessory dwelling unit, smoke alarms there should also connect to the alarms in the main house.

Tammy Kikuchi is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio.

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