Smoke Detector Helps Save Lawmaker’s Life

SOMERSET, Ky. — Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) escaped from an early morning house fire Wednesday, a day after he had installed a new smoke alarm that he said helped save his life.

The blaze destroyed the back of Rogers’ house and left the front heavily damaged by smoke and water. A faulty space heater may have sparked the fire, said Fire Chief Buddy Haney.

“I’m physically OK,” an emotional Rogers said shortly afterward, his voice trailing off. “I don’t have anything . . . all my memories . . . all my pictures” were lost, he said. His wife, Shirley, died last year.