CINCINNATI – The Red Cross is planning to focus on the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine and Mount Auburn in their latest push to install smoke alarms in vulnerable communities, they announced Saturday.
In Kentucky, the Red Cross will also be targeting Newport, Bellevue and Dayton, they said. The push will start in May.
The announcement followed a fire in a building in the Pendleton neighborhood near OTR early Saturday. Firefighters said that one person they rescued from the basement hadn’t been aware the building was on fire, and they were concerned that the fire could have spread to adjoining buildings in the dense neighborhood.
The Red Cross’ effort, which they call the “Red Cross Mega Blitz: A Cause for Alarms,” will result in at least 1,000 free smoke alarms being installed, according to the group.
In 2015, the Red Cross installed more than 3,000 free smoke alarms, including one which saved a pair of Colerain Township residents when their house caught fire earlier this month.
But not everyone is so lucky. In December, four people died in Tri-State fires, including a 61-year-old woman in Covington, a mother and daughter in Bright, Indiana and a 62-year-old man in Butler County, according to the Red Cross.
While the Red Cross will be focusing on specific areas when their blitz launches again, anyone anywhere in the region can request a free smoke alarm by calling 513-579-3003.
