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CHAGRIN FALLS, OH – A high-tech smoke detector is being credited with saving the lives of a pregnant woman and her husband after their house caught fire Tuesday morning.

  • Chagrin Boulevard house fire ( courtesy Chagrin Falls Police Department)
  • Chagrin Boulevard house fire ( courtesy Chagrin Falls Police Department)
  • Chagrin Boulevard house fire ( courtesy Chagrin Falls Police Department)
  • Chagrin Boulevard house fire ( courtesy: FOX 8's Chris Reece )

Kyle and Erika Scotese had regular and photoelectric smoke detectors in their Chagrin Boulevard home. When the fire, started by ashes from a grill that were smoldering in a garbage can on the porch, broke out, the regular fire detectors didn’t go off. The photoelectric ones did though. The alarms woke the couple, who managed to escape through a basement door.

Chagrin Falls Fire Chief Frank Zugan tells Fox 8 that he is absolutely sure the photoelectric devices saved the couple. He adds that in January of 2011, Chagrin Falls passed a recommendation that all homeowners install those kind of smoke detectors in their homes, because they are so much more sensitive than the standard detectors.

The home sustained $150,000 worth of damage. A car in the garage was destroyed, adding another $25,000 into the damage costs.