Firefighters issue safety warning!
Firefighters in North Warwickshire are issuing a stark safety warning after attending a serious house fire in Furnace End over the Christmas period.
Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service were called to a house fire on Shawbury Lane at 18:21 on the 15 December 2009. At the height of the incident 11 appliances were in attendance from Coleshill, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Kenilworth, Leamington and Bedworth. Two elderly residents living in the property were taken to hospital, but later died. During the incident crews had to deal with a gas explosion and cordoned off the street.
On completing a full fire investigation it has been concluded that a propane gas heater being used to help keep the residents warm started the fire.
Watch Manager, Andy Bates said:
“During this very cold period many residents are using alternative heating systems to keep themselves warm. This in itself brings additional fire dangers for people to be aware of. I would strongly urge residents to ensure that both gas and electrical heaters have been checked thoroughly before use. If the heater is not working, do not mess with any wiring or move the gas cylinder. It could end up costing you your life!”
Portfolio Holder for Community Protection, Councillor Richard Hobbs said:
“It is very difficult for us all to stay warm in this weather, but the elderly are particularly vulnerable due to concerns over the costs of heating. This means that many will turn to alternative methods such as portable electric or propane gas heaters. We are continuing to push out the message locally of ‘keep warm, keep well’, but residents need to ensure they are doing this safely!”
For further advice on how to ‘keep warm, keep well’ during this cold snap, log onto http://www.keepwarmkeepwell.direct.gov.uk.
Alternatively for information on how to apply for a free home fire safety check log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue