Amazon Alexa credited with saving lives after alerting family to house fire

An Amazon Alexa device alerted a US family to smoke inside their house (Representative Image)

An Amazon Alexa device alerted a family to smoke inside their house, allowing them to escape the fire that caused it.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue in Maryland said that six members of the family were saved when Amazon’s virtual assistant alerted them to smoke inside their house in the early hours of Monday. The family members were all sleeping when Amazon Alexa alerted them to smoke inside their house.

The family of four adults and two children was woken up by Alexa’s warning at around 1.45 am, according to local news reports. They encountered heavy smoke but were able to make their way out successfully, thanks to working smoke alarms and Alexa’s timely warning.

“Just before 2 am, a Silver Spring family was alerted to smoke in their home by Alexa,” the fire and rescue department said on Twitter.

Alexa, save my life...
Just before 2am, a Silver Spring family was alerted to smoke in their home by #Alexa. The family (4 adults, 2 kids) encountered heavy smoke & were able to safely escape the fire due to the early warning of WORKING smoke alarms & Alexa. #lifesaver #family pic.twitter.com/XU4WNqBQSK

— MontgomeryCo(MD)Fire (@mcfrs) September 19, 2022

Piringer said that two electrical chargers were plugged in and charging an electric lawnmower and an electric bike in the garage. The fire was ultimately caused by combustibles placed too close to the heat source.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. The total damage to equipment and property, however, is estimated to be around $175,000 (Rs 1.3 crore).