"I thought that's odd because I'd only just checked and changed the batteries."
Checking on why it was sounding loudly, Mr Little said he got the fright of his life.
"I saw a glow in the kitchen ... there were flames coming out the back of the fridge.
"I grabbed a bucket and threw water on it."
He hates to think what might have happened had he not been warned by the hallway alarm.
"It could have taken hold really quickly and we'd have probably been killed by the smoke ... We got to it in time."
He has two warnings.
"If you hear your fridge making a funny noise turn it off at the wall ... make sure your smoke alarms are working. It could save your life," he said.
The home the brothers live in is a Trust House property.
Trust House chief executive Allan Pollard said they provided smoke alarms and batteries for their homes.
If their tenants need a detector or fresh batteries they can pick them up from Trust House.
"We've got boxes and boxes of them. We supply them to all our tenants," he said.
People really struggling to buy smoke detectors and those with a Community Services Card can ring the fire service and have a free Home Safety Inspection done.
Masterton fire station officer Mike Cornford said they provided smoke alarms to some people.
"It's by a case by case, need by need basis ... if people are desperate they can ring us," he said.
