Date: 23rd March, 2021
Smoke alarms save students following dishwasher fire
Firefighters from Redhill Park, Bournemouth have praised the actions of students following a dishwasher fire in their accommodation.
Firefighters were called to reports of a dishwasher fire in Talbot Road, Bournemouth at around 10pm on Sunday evening. On arrival the crew found all the occupants of the property had evacuated. They removed the dishwasher from the property.
Watch Manager Jason Browne said: “Although we wouldn’t normally recommend it, the students were able to deal with the fire due to reacting immediately to the fire alarm that alerted them. Two water fire extinguishers were used to extinguish the fire successfully before all the residents evacuated and flagged down the attending fire appliance.
He added: “This incident shows the unquestionable value of a well-maintained fire alarm system and the benefits of reacting to it immediately should it sound. In this case the fire alarm alerted the occupiers of the property allowing them time to tackle the fire successfully with extinguishers. It is of course important to highlight that if in any doubt about your own safety, your capabilities, or the capabilities of the firefighting equipment a fire should not be tackled. The door to the room involved should be shut, evacuate the building and call the fire service.”
The stop message was received at 10.28pm and firefighters returned to Redhill Park shortly afterwards.
For more advice on smoke alarms, their placements and testing or general home fire safety advice, please have a look at www.dwfire.org.uk/safety/safety-at-home/