Investigators say there were no smoke detectors at home where four died

Investigators say there were NO smoke detectors in the Winnebago County home where a man & his three grandchildren died in a weekend housefire. The cause of that blaze is still unknown. Assistant State Fire Marshal George Howe says in many recent housefires, smoke detectors in the homes either didn’t work or didn’t contain batteries.Howe says this is the fifth fire this winter that killed more than one person and the fourth in which children died.Many of the fires statewide are also happening in rental properties. Howe says it’s a tenant’s responsibility to make sure smoke detectors have fresh batteries.Howe says at least half of last year’s fire deaths could have been prevented if the homes had working smoke detectors.