Editor's note: Helen Churilla's late October death was Lincoln's first directly caused by fire in nearly three years; officials say it could have been prevented.

As Helen Churilla's couch smoldered beneath her, filling her townhome with smoke, her neighbors heard little more than muffled rustling.

The battery in her smoke detector was 17 years old and improperly installed. The detector - more than a decade old - didn't beep.

And her neighbors, including residents of two units in her building, didn't even know there was a fire.

Churilla, 84, died of smoke inhalation before her son found her Oct. 25.

Her death was the first caused by fire in Lincoln this year. In fact, it was the first in almost three years.

A 65-year-old Lincoln woman died after a fire in January, but her death was found to be the result of a pre-existing medical condition exacerbated by stress from the fire.

Fire officials say Churilla's death could have been prevented had the battery in her smoke detector been installed properly and replaced every year, said Fire Inspector Rick Campos.

The detector should have been replaced as well, he said.

"When the detector is more than 10 years old, the efficiency of the detection goes way downhill," he said. "If the manufacturer doesn't stand behind it for more than 10 years, that's good enough for me."

Here are a few safety tips from the Bureau of Fire Prevention:

• Test detectors once a week.
• Every daylight saving time, replace the batteries.
• Buy a detector with a built-in lithium battery, which will last 10 years.
• Install smoke detectors in hallways and each bedroom.

Ionization sensors, the most common type of fire detector, generally respond faster to flames. Photoelectric sensors generally respond faster to smoldering fires, such as the one in Churilla's home.

Campos said he's mostly concerned with getting a smoke detector in every home.

"Basically our stance is: Have one that works," he said.

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7234 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.