HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Henrico man who survived a house fire says there were no smoke alarms inside the rental home where he and his daughter lived — and he wants other renters to know their rights.
Carlos Jerez suffered first-, second-, and third-degree burns on his head, hands, and feet after a fire broke out in his home the night before Memorial Day. The 52-year-old says he had just returned from a long shift at work when he briefly stepped away from food he was cooking.
"I took a step out, like, two minutes. I'm in my bedroom, and I hear a crackling fire," Jerez said.
By the time he noticed the fire, it had already spread rapidly.
"I turn around, and the fire goes from here to here in 15 seconds ... it's all over [my] face. I go like this, and that's how the burns [on my arm and hands]," Jerez said.
Jerez and his daughter, who was not injured, were able to escape the burning home before firefighters arrived. He later woke up in the hospital.
"You wake up in the hospital and you're like, 'I can't wait to go home.' Next thing you know, your heart sinks. There is no home," Jerez said.
He says the experience left him shaken — but grateful.
"One more minute, and I wouldn't be here," Jerez said.
According to the Henrico Fire Department, there were no smoke alarms inside the home Jerez was renting. Under Virginia Code 55.1-1220, landlords are required to provide a certificate to the tenant stating that all smoke alarms are present, have been inspected, and are in good working order once every 12 months.
Jerez says the absence of smoke alarms cost him critical seconds.
"Those smoke alarms, there is no way that you cannot react to one of them, and I would have reacted way sooner than when I actually reacted just by hearing the fire," Jerez said.
The fire has also put his long-held dreams on hold. Jerez had been working toward opening his own Argentinian restaurant.
"Basically everything that we've been working on for almost 27 years now, 28," Jerez said. "One day you just wake up in the morning and it's all gone."
While Jerez is seeking assistance as he works to get back on his feet, he also wants his experience to serve as a warning to other renters.
"Look up the Virginia code, and you will see that you need a smoke detector in every single room and hallway depending on what kind of structure it is," Jerez said.
Click here to view a GoFundMe that has been established for Jerez and his family.
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