Peterborough residents escaped burning house thanks to smoke alarm

Peterborough residents managed to escape their burning home thanks to smoke alarms, firefighters have said.

The blaze started in the kitchen at the home in Brudenell in Orton Goldhay at about 11am on March 5 when the residents were upstairs.

Flames ripped through the kitchen, spreading quickly – but thankfully, smoke alarms alerted the residents, who were able to get out of their house.

Now firefighters have urged people to ensure alarms are working across their homes, to ensure they can get out if a fire starts.

Station Commander Gareth Boyd said: “The occupants of the property were upstairs when the fire started, which started in the extraction fan above the cooker in the kitchen. The smoke alarm activated, alerting them to the fire, so they were able to quickly and safely exit the house and call 999.

“This shows how important it is to have working smoke alarms on every floor of a property, as the fire spread throughout the kitchen very quickly. The occupants were uninjured but the fire caused significant damage.”

On arrival firefighters were faced with thick smoke coming through the front door. Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus quickly entered the property and extinguished the fire using a hose reel. Once the fire was under control the property was ventilated to remove smoke from all the rooms.

The fire was most likely caused by a fault in the extractor, which spread quickly due to a build-up of grease in the fan and items being stored on the cupboards beside the unit.

Station Commander Boyd added: “It is important for any premises, both homes and business with kitchens, to ensure extraction fans, filters and hoods are cleaned regularly to prevent build-up of oils and fats, as these will make a fire spread quickly.”

More information about keeping your home safe from fire, including tips on saving safely as the cost of living increases and how to carry out your own home fire safety check, can be found on the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service website.