Neighbour rescues family from burning house
A mother and five children were rescued from their Margate home after a fire broke out in the kitchen.
Officials say that it is thought the fire started when an electric cooker was left on accidentally at around 2.30am on 29th September.
The mother and children were trapped on the first floor as fire spread from the kitchen.
A neighbour managed to break a small window with a shovel and help rescue the mother and children. The family were quickly taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
The neighbour who witnessed the fire told the BBC: “We heard screaming and shouting and looked out of the window and saw black smoke billowing out of the bathroom window and a young lady screaming out. Me and the wife went out and had a good look and ended up smashing the window and pulling the children through the window. There were two of us. There was another chap. He was leaning against the railings where the little window is and the mother was passing the children out.”
Fire chiefs said it appeared a smoke alarm fitted on the ground floor failed to activate. This was probably due to batteries being inserted incorrectly.
Margate watch manager Paul Ward said: “While we would always advise people not to enter a building that is on fire, the man’s actions in rescuing this family were extremely brave and with considerable risk to his own safety.”
Sheffield Fire Service urge you to ‘Press The Button’
Fire chiefs in Sheffield are urging people to sign up to their Press The Button campaign in an attempt to get people to check that their smoke alarms are in working order.
The campaign comes after crews rescued a woman from her burning flat and discovered that the smoke alarm had been disconnected.
The woman was found face down on her bed at the Royal Exchange Works, Lady’s Bridge.
The fire started when a pan in the kitchen caught fire at around 2am.
Group manager Mick Mason said: “But for the swift actions of our fire crews, this could easily have been a much more serious incident. It’s shocking that people continue to disconnect smoke alarms, which can give them vital extra minutes to escape in the event of a fire.”
South Yorkshire’s firefighters have attended around 100 fires in homes where smoke alarms had been removed or where not working.
Visit www.pressthebutton.co.uk to sign up.
Gloucestershire fire service smoke alarm warning
Gloucestershire Fire Service are asking households to check that their smoke alarms are fitted in the correct place.
It is thought that there were around 3000 incidents last year where the smoke alarm was not triggered in a fire. Statistics have shown that the biggest reason why a smoke alarm will not sound in the event of a fire is because smoke did not reach the alarm in order to set it off.
Geoff Sallis, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, said: “The vast majority of us now have at least one smoke alarm in our homes. However, early detection and warning is vital to seriously reduce the devastation a fire can cause. You should make sure you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home, preferably in hallways and landings. Placing smoke detectors in rooms where there are electrical appliances could give you the extra warning you need.”
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service have advised households to have a fire alarm on each level, on the ceiling in the middle of a room or hallway. People should also make sure they test their alarms regularly.
Fire leaves family of 8 homeless
Firefighters have warned people to ensure they are safe in their homes after a fire left a family of 8 homeless.
Firefighters attended a fire at a three storey terraced house in West Street, Harwich, at around 5.30pm on Tuesday 5th June. The fire is thought to have started in a second floor bedroom.
It is the second fire to break out in six months on the street, and the third in the area since December.
Martin Avent, community safety officer said: “Fires like this show how even the smallest fire in the home can cause devastation. In this case eight people were unable to return to their home as a result of the fire. Every home should have at least one working smoking alarm on every floor, they are the most important early warning system a house can have alerting all occupants that something is wrong the minute a fire breaks out, giving everyone time to escape before calling us in to deal with the incident.”
Landlord fined over £15,000 for fire safety breaches
A Salford landlord has pleaded guilty to breaching fire safety regulations.
Raviv Dozetas, pleaded guilty to five breaches of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 and to one offence under the Housing Act 2004 in a prosecution by Bolton Council. He was convicted at Bolton Magistrates’ Court on 18th May 2012.
The conviction follows an investigation carried out by Bolton Council officers on 6th October 2011, at a four storey block of flats in Bolton.
It was found that the fire alarm wasn’t working properly, smoke detectors in the flats had been covered up with blanking caps, self-closing fire doors and emergency lighting were not working and there was no firefighting equipment anywhere in the building.
Dozetas admitted that he was responsible for the premises and had not carried out a Fire Risk Assessment.
Dozetas was fined £3,500 for not carrying out a fire risk assessment and for failing to provide an adequate fire alarm and £1,000 each for the other offences. He was also ordered to pay the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service £3,285.75 in costs.
He was also fined £1,000 for renting out the property without a licence and £1000 in costs to Bolton Council.
Peter O’Reilly from GMFRS said: “There were nine flats in the building and Mr Dozetas profited from the rent whilst putting the tenants at risk. A private landlord should ensure that their flats are safe and this case highlights how GMFRS works closely with our partners to ensure the residents of Greater Manchester are safe. Prohibiting a building is a serious step particularly when it means people have to leave their homes, however Mr Dozetas’ disregard for the safety of his tenants left us with no choice until he put matters right.”
Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services said: “This successful joint prosecution sends out a message that the council and its partners will seek to take the strongest action against landlords who fail to maintain a safe home for their tenants. Our housing and public health team actively pursue those landlords who fail to license properties that meet the relevant criteria. We would like to remind landlords, of privately rented properties, that they should visit and check their properties on a regular basis and ensure that they are safe and free from serious hazards.”