Smoke alarm saves mother of 3 from Wednesday afternoon house fire

PEORIA (25 News Now) - The mother of three children told the Peoria Fire Department she was asleep when fire broke out at her home in northwest Peoria on Wednesday.

It was the smoke detector’s alarm that alerted the woman to the danger from the fire at her single-story home in the 4000 block of West Hillmont Road, near West Creighton Terrace, said Battalion Chief Tom Stimeling.

The woman’s three young children were at school at the time, but all four have been temporarily displaced because of the fire. The Red Cross is helping the family find temporary housing.

Damage is estimated at $40,000. Chief Stimeling said an electrical problem caused the fire that was reported about 3:20 p.m.