It’s much easier and safer and infinitely less heartbreaking to prevent a fire than to deal with the aftermath. There are over 50,000 house fires each year in the UK, causing an average of 350 fatalities and 11,000 injuries – and almost all of these are preventable.
Amber
Last October, Katrina awoke suddenly at 11pm to the piercing shriek of a smoke alarm. As she saw the black billowing smoke beginning to fill the bedroom of her Woking home, her first thoughts were for the safety of her three-year-old son, Peter, whose bedroom was along the landing. But when she looked up, he was standing at her bedroom door.
The smoke alarm had woken Peter up. Thankfully, mother and son got out unscathed and called the fire brigade.
How much do you know about preparing for a fire in the home?
Red
The owner of a cattery in Dalkeith, Scotland, was recently saved when the barking of her dog woke her in the early hours. Firefighters told her that the blaze appeared to have been burning for some time and was within 15 minutes of spreading to the roof of her home.
Green
Lyndhurst mother-of-three Tracy Stubbington saw her house burn to the ground. Thankfully, the local British Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service had been called to the scene by the Fire Service. They helped Tracy deal with the aftermath, picking the children up from school, taking Tracy to the doctors, calling the insurers and making sure Tracy and her children had somewhere to stay.
