LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Raegan Maraman should have been turning 8 years old on Sunday.
Instead, her story is remembered on a Bullitt County billboard, and her grandmother is pleading for fire safety awareness.
"She couldn't be saved, but we can try to save as many others as we can, because that's what Reagan would want," Tina Swann, Raegan's grandmother, said.
Maraman died in a Lebanon Junction house fire in January 2023 along with 27-year-old Eryn Toogood and her 6-year-old daughter Haisley Heath.
The fire department said that they died from smoke inhalation, and the house had no working smoke detectors.
Swann is hoping no other family has to live through this grief.
"Checking fire alarms, changing batteries, making it a schedule," Swann said, advocating for fire safety awareness.
Shepherdsville firefighter Todd Bevins said since the tragedy, Bullitt County passed an ordinance that requires smoke detectors in homes.
"We can have the fanciest equipment possible, but the true savior of life is a working smoke detector in your home," Bevins said.
He said many fire departments, including Shepherdsville and Lebanon Junction Fire Departments, will install them for anyone and for free.
"Since this incident happened, we have probably doubled to tripled the amount of smoke detectors that we are putting up," Bevins said.
Swann said it's her mission to keep her granddaughter's legacy alive and spread awareness for smoke detector installation.
"Reagan would want me to make people aware, so that someone else isn't lost," Swann said. "That's all I have."
Shepherdsville Fire said it installs nearly 250 smoke detectors per year.
Lebanon Junction Fire Chief Adam Heath said since the Bullitt County ordinance was enacted, the department has installed 75 smoke detectors in Lebanon Junction alone.
If you're interested in Lebanon Fire Department installing a smoke detector in your home for free, click here.
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