Friday 13
November
19.20
Hildesheim Close, Weston-super-Mare
The bedroom of a
house in Weston-super-Mare was badly damaged and remaining rooms
heavily smoke logged after fire broke out in the property.
Thanks to a
working smoke alarm in the property, the female occupant – believed
to be in her 40s – was able to escape the house safely.
Four firefighters
wearing breathing apparatus (BA) extinguished the fire using two
high pressure hose reels. The positive pressure ventilation (PPV)
fan was brought in to disperse the smoke.
It is thought the
fire started accidentally as a result of cigarette ash catching
light to flammable materials.
If you smoke at
home, make sure you fully extinguish your cigarettes in an ashtray.
Visit our Smoking safely pages for more information on staying safe
when smoking at home.
A recent national
survey found that almost half of people believe they will be able
to survive for more than two minutes in a smoke-filled room.
However, the reality is that just two to three breaths of toxic
smoke can render you unconscious.
Read more about our toxic smoke campaign.
Working smoke
detectors will pick up traces of smoke before you, giving you and
your loved ones precious time to escape to safety. If you have a
smoke detector in your home, check it every week. And, if you don’t
have a smoke detector, buy and install one on every storey of your
home. Read our leaflet on smoke detectors (PDF 78kb,
opens in a new window)