Sunday evening July 20th South Salem FD was dispatched to a residential fire alarm in the Waccabuc area of town.

South Salem FD responded and began a standard investigation to determine the cause of the alarm. Residential fire alarms are common and investigations usually determine the cause of alarm not to be from a fire, however this would not be the case with this alarm. The homeowner, also being advised of the activation by the alarm company, quickly arrived and assisted the FD with gaining entry. An odor of smoke was detected and smoke was observed coming from under the basement door. Further investigation revealed a fire in the basement and a Level 1 Alarm was transmitted bringing in mutual aid from neighboring fire departments. The fire was quickly extinguished and damage was mostly contained to the basement area.

After investigation with assistance from the Westchester County Cause and Origin Team it was determined the cause of the fire was probably the result of a dehumidifier failure. With recent fires also being the result of possible problems with dehumidifiers, the following recommendations are advised if you own a dehumidifier. Check with the manufacturer for any possible recalls and only use a dehumidifier as specified by the manufacturer.

It is clear in this case that a working monitored fire alarm saved this house and the family dog.