By Allison Jarrell
In an effort to reduce the risk of deaths related to home fires, 100 volunteers will go door-to-door and offer to install free smoke alarms to residents in the La Zanja neighborhood on Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents will also receive information on fire safety, preparedness and how to create a home evacuation plan.
The volunteer effort, which the City Council announced its Feb. 3 meeting, is made possible by a partnership between the city and the Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Sheriff Department, the American Red Cross and Mission Basilica.
The effort to distribute fire alarms follows the devastating Jan. 20 La Zanja condo fire, which claimed the lives of a young mother and her two sons—Maricela Sanchez, 20, Jaiden Liborio, 3, and Iker Liborio, 2. The fire resulted in an estimated $40,000 in damages to the contents of the two condo units involved, and a total of 80 people, residing in eight units at the complex, were displaced. Mayor Derek Reeve dedicated the council’s Feb. 3 meeting to the memory of Sanchez and her sons.
In addition to installing smoke alarms, the OCFA and the Red Cross encourages all Orange County residents to ensure the presence of working smoke alarms in homes and create and practice home fire exit drills.
