The combined effects of a smoke alarm and closed internal doors gave a family early warning of a fire which was prevented from spreading through a house in Valley View Close, Larkhall last night.
In the early hours of this morning, 12.41am, two crews from Bath were called to deal with the fire in the porch of a terraced property. Two firefighters in breathing apparatus used a high pressure hose reel to extinguish the fire which had started accidentally in a fuse box.
Although the two adults and two children were asleep when the fire started, they were woken by their smoke alarm. As the internal doors on the ground floor were closed, the fire was contained to the porch area. This prevented smoke and flames spreading to the rest of the house, limiting the damage caused.
With the fire contained the family were able to escape safely into the rear garden and wait for fire crews to arrive to deal with the blaze.
Avon Fire and Rescue recommend that you make closing internal doors part of your night time routine in case a fire does break out. A well maintained smoke alarm will also give you early warning of a problem.
As just a few breaths of smoke can be fatal, any extra seconds you have to escape are vital.
