6 April 2009

Firefighters had to force their way into a house this morning, wake up the occupant and carry him to safety after a kitchen fire started to fill his home with smoke.

Crews from Bletchley and Great Holm were called to Tiffany Close, Bletchley, at 1.18am. Neighbours were concerned because they could hear smoke alarms sounding.

Firefighters initially tried to wake the man by banging on windows. He had fallen asleep on a sofa in the living room after putting a pan of eggs on the cooker in the adjoining kitchen.

Watch Manager Neil Wycherley, the incident commander, from Bletchley Fire Station, said: "We had to force an entry to the rear, open the front door and carry him out.

"The smoke alarms really did their job - had they not gone off, or had no-one heard them, it could have been a much more serious incident.

"This fire highlights what can happen when you start cooking late at night and then fall asleep with the cooker or oven unattended.

"More than half of all house fires start in the kitchen. It can only take a moment's distraction - something as simple a telephone call or a knock at the door - for a potential disaster to strike.

"We advise people not to start cooking at night if they are tired or have just returned from a night out. If you are hungry, it's safer to find something that doesn't need to be heated.

"The good news is that the occupant had working smoke alarms in the living room and on the landing. Although they didn't wake him up, they were loud enough to wake the neighbours."

Firefighters extinguished the fire with a hose reel and cleared the smoke with a fan. The man was treated at the scene by paramedics from South Central Ambulance Service.

Firefighters will be visiting the area later in the week to offer residents free fire safety checks and fit free smoke alarms where necessary.

If you would like to book a fire safety check, ring 01296 744477, email cs@bucksfire.gov.uk or fill in the online form.