Woman has lucky escape from house fire

FIREFIGHTERS said a woman had a lucky escape following a blaze at her home in Evesham last night (Sunday).

Crews were called to a house in Battleton Road about 9.15pm after a passerby heard a smoke alarm going off.

Two engines from Evesham raced to the scene and because of the severity of the fire asked for extra pumps to attend from Pershore and Broadway.

Two teams of firefighters in breathing apparatus then tackled the fire, with one hose reel jet and one covering jet used to bring it under control. Crews then used ventilation fans to help clear the smoke from the house.

A woman at the address had been rescued from the property by neighbours before crews arrived. She was cared for at the scene by paramedics and then taken to hospital with minor smoke inhalation.

Station Commander Toby Kempton from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said the working smoke alarm in the house had made the vital difference to the outcome of this incident.

"Thanks to an early alert from the smoke alarm, the woman was brought to safety and damage inside the house was kept to a minimum," he said.

"Undoubtedly it would have been a different story if passersby had not heard the alarm and reacted as they did."

Mr Kempton also praised crews for their rapid firefighting, saying the quick knock-down of the blaze prevented any further spread of fire, restricting fire damage to the stairwell and landing area only.

He added: "Promoting the importance of working smoke alarms is a key priority for us and this incident illustrates all too well why we do this.

"Smoke alarms really do save lives and we would urge everyone to check their own alarms now without delay."

HWFRS recommends that people install smoke alarms on each level of their home and that they test their alarms on a weekly basis. The Service also offers free Home Fire Safety Checks where a member of the Community Safety Team will visit at home to offer fire safety advice tailored to the individual household. Call 0800 032 1155 for more details.

The cause of last night’s fire is being linked to discarded smoking materials.

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