Add HomePod to the list of Apple devices that have saved lives: Apple's smart speaker saved a family's home from a deadly fire started by an inquisitive dog while the family was sleeping.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department was alerted to a house fire at 4:43 a.m. on June 26. However, by the time firefighters arrived on scene, the homeowner had already put out the blaze in the kitchen.
Security camera footage from the kitchen posted to Facebook shows the owner's dog standing on its hind legs and sniffing around several boxes on the stove, causing the fire.
Unfortunately, while the dog was wandering around, he accidentally turned one of the knobs on the stove, which activated one of the heating elements, which overheated and ignited one of the boxes, causing flames to reach the ceiling.
The family was able to put out the fire before anyone was seriously injured, but one adult in the household was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported, and the puppy was unharmed.
Fire Engine 23 arrived at the scene of the residence at 4:47 AM with no visible fire or smoke. Upon investigation, crews did not find any fire, but did find evidence of a fire. The male homeowner was able to put the fire out prior to crews' arrival, but was subsequently transported to a local hospital with smoke inhalation. No other injuries to people or pets were reported.
The homeowner was notified of the fire by the family's HomePod, which alerted the homeowners by displaying important notifications on their Apple devices. The family told firefighters they received a “high temperature” warning, but the HomePod cannot send high temperature warnings.
However, HomePod has sound recognition capabilities that can detect the sound of a smoke alarm and alert the user. The HomePod likely detected the sound of a smoke alarm and alerted the user that there was a possible fire in the home.
You can enable the HomePod Sound Recognition feature by following these steps:
- Go to the Home app.
- Open Home Settings.
- Tap “Safety and security.“
- “Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms“Down”voice recognition.”
The Colorado Springs Fire Department says you should have working smoke detectors in every part of your home, don't put flammable items on your stove, and make sure everyone in your household knows at least two exits from each room in case a fire breaks out.
