Kamloops firefighters say working smoke alarms and the quick thinking of a Tournament Inn resident was the reason why lives were saved after a fire on Tuesday.

Rob Fletcher lives in the unit right next to the one that caught fire early that morning. He says if not for his smoke alarm going off things could have been much worse.

“If we didn’t have smoke alarms here, none of us would have made it out,” he said, noting it saved the lives of his two neighbours, and possible even his own.

Fletcher was woken up around 4:00 a.m. on March 2, and saw flames next door after he jumped out of bed to see what was going on. He called 911 before kicking on the neighbouring unit’s back door to ensure the people inside were awake.

“They wouldn’t have made it [out], it went up so quick that by the time the fire department got here the cars out front were already on fire,” Fletcher said.

When firefighters got there, they said the fire had spread to trees, a gazebo, and two vehicles outside.

“The room involved had completely flashed over, meaning it was completely engulfed in fire,” Fire Investigator Kevin Cassidy said. “Those conditions would not have been survivable.”

There were no injuries reported and firefighters say that is because of the smoke alarm and Fletcher’s quick actions. The fire did not spread to other rooms at the motel, but so far, the cause has not been determined.

“KFR has been actively working with the owners of this property over the last year to ensure that all of the units are equipped with functioning smoke alarms,” added Chief Fire Prevention Officer Dean Olstad.

Have you checked your smoke alarms lately? Smoke alarms at the Tournament Inn credited for saving lives this past week. Read more: https://t.co/oxMQLSLtTv pic.twitter.com/PBM3SBXEry

— City of Kamloops (@cityofkamloops) March 4, 2021