Two elderly residents were rescued from a house fire on Deansway in Woodloes Park in Warwick last night.Our Fire Control received a call at 6.44pm from a very distressed resident to inform them tha...
Two elderly residents were rescued from a house fire on Deansway in Woodloes Park in Warwick last night.
Our Fire Control received a call at 6.44pm from a very distressed resident to inform them that there was a house fire and both she and her husband were trapped inside. While the crews were on their way, our fire control operator stayed on the line giving lifesaving advice such as closing the front room door to stop the smoke coming through, as the residents were unable to get out of the property without assistance from the crew.
Firefighters from Leamington, Kenilworth and Wellesbourne quickly attended the incident. On arrival, they had to make entry through the front door and used the information being relayed by fire control to find the room where the residents were trapped. The residents were still on the line to our fire control operator who continued to reassure them until the crews arrived. Once in the house, the crew were able to lead the residents to safety before handing them over to the care of the ambulance service.
Confirming the residents were safe, the crews then focussed their attention on dealing with the fire. The fire is believed to have been started by cooking left unattended. Although the house was heavily smoke logged, the crews did manage to contain the fire to the kitchen area which unfortunately was quite badly fire damaged. Fire crews remained in attendance following the fire to clear the smoke from the property and ensure all hot spots had been extinguished.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Response Commander, Steve Bolt said: “This was a critical incident with two vulnerable residents trapped inside the property. Our crews and fire control operators acted swiftly to provide the residents with lifesaving advice to help keep them safe until our crews arrived. This included moving the residents as far away as possible from the fire, closing all doors to stop the fire from spreading and putting a blanket at the bottom of the door to stop the smoke getting through.
“Although the fire was contained to the kitchen, the residents could have quickly been overcome by the smoke, which meant that crews had to act quickly. Once at the incident, we entered the property and rescued the residents from the fire and then handed them over to our colleagues in the ambulance service to check they were ok.
“Although we did receive a 999 call from the residents, it was of concern that there were no working smoke alarms in the property. Had this fire started while the residents were asleep, we could have been talking about a very different outcome. If you know of someone who may be vulnerable, then please ensure that you sign them up to our free Safe and Well check, where our crews can assess any potential fire safety issues, provide advice on having a fire escape plan and where necessary fit working smoke alarms.”
Since attending the incident, crews from Leamington have been out talking to residents in neighbouring properties about staying fire safe and the importance of having working smoke alarms fitted in your home.
For more information on fire safety in the home or to apply for a free Safe and Well Visit, log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/safeandwellvisit