HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Red Cross volunteers went door to door in one Luzerne County neighborhood on Thursday passing out smoke alarms. It's the same neighborhood where a family of three was killed in a fire last week.
A brand-new smoke alarm for the Simon family in Hanover Township. It's a gift from the Red Cross and volunteers stopped by to install it.
The Red Cross and the Hanover Township Fire Department went door to door in this neighborhood giving new smoke alarms to anyone who needed one.
They installed 48 alarms in 35 homes.
This comes after three people, including a 2-year-old child were killed in a fire in this neighborhood last week. The cause of this fire is still under investigation it has not been determined yet if the family had a working smoke alarm.
"They're canvassing the area near where the tragic event took place just to make sure that everybody is up to date with their smoke alarms and an educational process also," said Hanover Township Fire Chief Joe Temarantz.
"Many times, we find that when a tragedy affects a community like this, people start to think, 'You know what? I don't know if my smoke alarms work,'" said Red Cross official Dave Skutnik.
As volunteers went door to door, if someone wasn't home, they left a note on the door telling them who to call to get a smoke alarm.
"We typically see a jump in the number of fires when the weather gets cold and we typically see it around the holidays with decorations, candles things like that," Skutnik said.
Firefighters and the Red Cross say December has already been a busy month for them. They are committed to keeping the community safe, especially during the holiday season.
The Simon family appreciate the help.
"I hope everybody has a nice holiday and a safe holiday and this is going to make it a little bit more at ease for some people," Joe Simon said.
Firefighter says it is also important to make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home.