If you have these smoke alarms, you’re in danger so read this now

Smoke alarms aren't exactly cutting-edge technology. They've been around for a very long time and the systems that allow them to detect smoke — whether they use ionization or photoelectric technology — is relatively mundane. You buy them in packs and stick them all over your house and assume they'll work because, well, they almost always do. They're just that simple. Unfortunately, nearly a quarter of a million smoke and smoke/carbon monoxide combination detectors are now recalled because they just don't detect smoke like they're supposed to, and that means they won't alert you when a fire breaks out.

In a new recall bulletin posted on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website, Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Company Inc. announces the recall of Kidde-branded smoke alarms and smoke/carbon monoxide combination alarms that sold from between $10 and $70. The hazard risk for these units is described as follows: "The smoke alarm and the combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarm can fail to alert consumers to a fire."