Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 17/08/2009 09:27

An elderly woman from Falmouth who accidentally left a cigarette burning in her living room when she went upstairs for a nap was saved from serious injury by her smoke detector after a fire broke out in her home.

The woman was woken by the sound of the alarm to find her whole house filled with smoke. The sound of the alarm also alerted a nearby taxi driver who dialled 999 after seeing smoke coming from the house.

The fire was attended by two fire appliances from Falmouth fire station. Firefighters gave the woman oxygen after finding her suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

“This lady was very, very lucky as the cigarette appears to have set light to a cushion in the living room“ said Watch Manager Martin Adinall.

“This could have led to a very serious fire as the cushion was surrounded by a number of highly flammable items. The fact that she was woken by the smoke alarm helped to prevent the whole house from being destroyed by fire and almost certainly stopped her from being seriously injured”.

“This incident demonstrates yet again the importance of having a working smoke detector in your home. We hope that this lady’s experience will encourage more people to fit smoke alarms and ensure that any they do have in their homes are working “.

Research shows that cigarettes and smoking equipment are by far both the biggest killer (claiming up to 140 lives each year) and the second biggest cause of injury in accidental house fires.

In Cornwall there were 47 fires in homes between 2005 and 2008 which can be directly attributed to smoking or smoking related materials. These involved 10 casualties, one of which was fatal.

Despite these stark statistics, however, more than 60% of those who were injured as a result of fires caused by smoking materials did not have a working smoke alarm in their homes.

“Having a working smoke alarm in your house can buy you valuable time in the case of a fire , giving you time to escape safely” said Martin Adinall. “Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is committed to reducing fire deaths and injuries in the county by ensuring that every home has a working smoke alarm. Firefighters can carry out free home safety checks and give advice on choosing and fitting smoke alarms”.

“Please contact your nearest fire station if you would like information and advice on having a home fire safety check” or phone the free phone fire safety help line number 0800 3581999”

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=7281