DENVER -- Ever rushed out of the house and later realized you left a pot on the stove or a space heater plugged in?

Anna Jo Haynes did.

The Denver woman was working in her garden and forgot about a pot of vegetables she had cooking on the stove. By the time she went inside, it was on fire.

"Oh, I was terrified. There was smoke all over the kitchen. I thought, 'How did I not know this?'" said Haynes.

"I glanced over at the stove and there was a fairly good black spot," said Haynes' son, Michael. "I know my mother doesn't smoke. I said, 'You burned something.'"

Michael Haynes could not stop thinking about the fire at his mother's home and how to prevent it from happening again.

"I started tinkering with some gadgets. I came up with a box that would plug in and would automatically turn the stove off when the smoke detector went off," he said.

What started as a way to protect his mother soon grew into a business idea.

Power flows from the outlet, through The Smart Switch and into whatever appliance is plugged in.

If there is a fire, the sound of a fire alarm going off will trigger the device to cut power to the appliance.

Haynes enlisted the help of his friend, firefighter Eric Tade.

"I do think this can prevent a fire," Tade said.

Tade demonstrated the device on several home appliances including a microwave, toaster and stove top.

The Smart Switch will be available early next year at Denver area hardware stores.

It is available now online starting at about $40.

For more information on The Smart Switch, go to thesmartswitch.com.