Cheryl Sydney's teenage nephew died in a fire last year. It's still not clear whether the home he was staying in had a fire alarm.
"I think they didn't wake up until the fire was engulfing the house," she said.
Nearly 3,000 people are killed each year in residential fires. In such fires, the risk of dying is cut in half if you have a working smoke alarm, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Consumer Reports' Bernie Deitrick tests smoke alarms, creating fires in a chamber to see how quickly alarms sound.
"There are basically two types of fires; smoky, smoldering fires that are best detected by alarms with photoelectric sensors and fast fires with flames. Those are best detected by alarms with ionization sensors," Deitrick said.
Consumer Reports says you are safest with a dual-sensor alarm that quickly detects both types of fires. They recommend the Kidde PI2010 and the First Alert 3120B. Each costs about $30.
They also tested the updated Nest Protect, a $99 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. They found the new Nest is still slower to respond that other alarms to flash-flame fires.
"The Nest is only equipped with a photoelectric smoke detector," Deitrick said. "For optimal safety, we think it's best to skip the Nest and buy a dual-sensor smoke alarm and buy a separate carbon monoxide alarm."
They recommend First Alert's CO615 Carbon Monoxide Alarm for $30.
Only about one-third of American homes have a carbon monoxide detector. But, Consumer Reports says a CO detector is a must in any household with fuel-burning appliances like a furnace, water heater, cooktop or grill. Even, an all-electric home can benefit from a CO alarm if you use a generator.