Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Pendarves Road, Truro at 05/06/2005 00:51

Three fire engines from Truro and one from Redruth were called to a house fire in Pendarves Road, Truro on 5th June 2005 at 00.51.

The fire started downstairs but a fire investigation team and the police are still investigating how.

When the firefighters arrived at the property the fire had spread rapidly through the downstairs of the property, broken through the front porch and up the stairs to the first floor. Luckily the tenant had been alerted to the fire by a working smoke alarm and had managed to escape with her dog before we arrived.

The neighbours living in the two terraced houses either side had also been alerted by their smoke alarms and had escaped before the fire brigade arrived.

“We immediately started tackling the ferocious fire which was spreading rapidly through the house and into the roof. We needed to stop it going into the neighbouring properties so wearing breathing apparatus and using ladders and hose reels they entered the property to tackle the fire”
said Sub Officer Tony Penrose, Green Watch, Truro

He cont: “The fire then fractured a gas main so the firefighters moved back from the property and cordoned off the area for their own safety and the people living in the surrounding homes. They did not need to evacuate any other houses as they were far enough away and out of the danger zone”
The firefighters continued to fight the fire and re-entered the property once the gas had been isolated. They managed to stop it spreading and it was completely extinguished a couple of hours later. They checked the roof for ‘hotspots’ to make sure the fire would not restart, and used positive pressure ventilation (fans) to clear the smoke from the neighbouring properties so the owners could go back in.

The firefighters made sure the neighbours felt ‘fire safe’ and checked their smoke alarms were still working. They fitted a new one in one of the homes.

Davinia Grist, Public Relations Officer added: “This fire demonstrates the importance of having a working smoke alarm. When are you are asleep it could be your only warning if a fire should happen in your home”

“You should check your smoke alarm once a week and fit one on every floor of your home. Residents in Cornwall are entitled to a free home safety check by their local firefighters. They just need to phone 0800 3581 999”