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Flames from the bonfire – which occurred in Warndon, Worcester – caught the roofs of nearby homes, causing significant fire and smoke damage. Ten residents were evacuated from their homes as firefighters tackled the blaze.
Twenty-year-old Salma, who also works for the Red Cross in Worcester, remembered: “I was having my lunch in the office when Peter Gray, our team leader, rushed in to say our fire and emergency support team had been called out and asked if I was available.
Practical help
“I still have one last course to do before I’m fully trained, so I wanted to know what I was letting myself in for! I asked where it was and what was involved, and he said that our work would mostly involve reassuring people and helping practically where we were needed. So I said ‘Yeah, alright!’”
“Next it was a rush to get my stuff together and within five minutes we were at the scene – our new offices are very close to the centre of Worcester, which means we can respond really quickly to incidents like these now.
Emotional support
Salma added: “There was a small crowd of people in the road, watching as the firefighters tried to put the blaze out. The first people I met were Caroline and her daughter Helen. Although Caroline’s house hadn’t been affected by the flames, it had significant smoke damage and she was very worried because her cats and dogs were still inside.
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