The DeKalb Fire Department responded to an apartment fire late Tuesday evening at 1024 W. Hillcrest Drive, but upon arriving, found the occupants already had extinguished the flames.

After an investigation, fire officials determined the fire started after the occupants had fallen asleep while their food cooked on the stove.

Lt. Dave O’Donnell, of the DeKalb Fire Department, said the occupants awoke to the sound of their smoke detector and were able to extinguish the fire with minimal damage to their residence. Damages were assessed at $2,500 with small amounts of smoke and fire damage to cabinets and other parts of the kitchen.

Had the fire not been contained when it was, officials speculated it could have caused significant damage to the entire apartment building and could have forced the relocation of tenants.

O’Donnell said this incident is a perfect example of how smoke detectors can save lives.

“If it were not for the working smoke detector in this incident, it is very probable that the occupants may have been injured, as well as the other residents in the building,” O’Donnell said in a press release.

It’s a good thing to see smoke detectors working, Assistant Fire Chief Rueben Nelson said. Especially in apartments, people tend to remove the batteries from their smoke detectors, or tamper with them in some way, Nelson added.

To properly protect your home, Nelson suggested not only installing the proper number of smoke detectors, but also checking them to make sure they work as well.

Nelson also said having at least one smoke detector installed on every floor, and extra detectors to separate sleeping quarters from living quarters, helps reduce the risks that a fire could overtake a residence. He also reminds everyone to check their smoke detectors’ batteries every time they change their clocks in the spring and fall.

“They really can save your life. … This incident last night did just that,” O’Donnell said.