NORTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Stickers are what helped a local daycare director get nearly a dozen toddlers and two infants out of the building when a fire started last week.
Candace Cumpston, who owns Little Peeps Childcare Center in North Fayette, said as soon as the fire alarms went off she jumped into action.
“We had just gotten up from nap time, potty, washed hands, and sat down for a snack and the alarm went off,” said Cumpston.
Around 2 p.m. Friday, Cumpston said she had two infants and nearly a dozen toddlers along with her staff inside of the daycare center when the alarms went off.
Thinking fast, she knew she had to get the little ones out of the center quickly.
“We inspired them with stickers just to hurry and go out the front door. We evacuated in record time, I would say maybe a minute,” she said.
While no one was hurt in the fire, the center’s baby room sits closest to where the fire began.
“It occurred on the rear left side of the building. It had gone up the exterior wall and across the ceiling,” Cumpston explained.
The fire department said the fire began in the basement when a plumber was doing outdoor work. The insulation in the wall caught fire, and flames traveled up into an attached upstairs apartment. Cumpston credits her fire systems with the fast response.
“Because of the fire system we have, I have three smoke detectors in the main unit, I have two smoke detectors in the baby room, and I have two smoke detectors in the basement.”
Fortunately, the daycare center did not burn, and no children were injured. The building had minor smoke damage that they are now monitoring.
“It could have definitely been so much worse,” she said.
The center will likely be closed until next week as they continue to ventilate the building.
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