Date: 4th November, 2016
At 10.35pm on 2 November, crews from Springbourne and Redhill Park were alerted to a property fire in St Luke’s Road, Bournemouth.
Crews arrived within four minutes and were confronted with a fire in a first floor bedroom. This was extinguished by four breathing apparatus wearers, using two hose reels. The six occupants of the house escaped uninjured prior to the arrival of the Fire and Rescue Service.
Springbourne Watch Manager Jason Browne, who took charge of this incident, said: “We believe this fire was caused by an unattended candle. There was a smoke alarm on both the first floor and ground floor of this property; however, the alarm on the first floor did not operate and it was only once the smoke had built up and reached the ground floor alarm that the residents were alerted to the fire. The first floor alarm had not been tested by any of the occupants since they took up residency – they didn’t even realise it was there! They were only aware of the ground floor one due to it going of occasionally due to cooking.”
He added: “Candles should not be left unattended and should always be placed on a heat proof service. If you’re burning a candle and need to leave the room or are distracted, please make sure you extinguish it fully. Smoke alarms should be tested once a week and batteries replaced when necessary. For more information on smoke alarms or candle safety, please have a look at the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service website – www.dwfire.org.uk or contact us on 01722 691000.”