Local woman dies in house fire
Firefighters in North Warwickshire are urging residents to think about their escape plans after a fire in North Warwickshire ended in tragedy.
Firefighters from Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service were called to a house fire on Little Warton Road, Warton at 14:26 on the 2 January 2011. On arrival crews were faced with a serious house fire which had spread very rapidly. Despite their efforts, fire crews were unable to rescue a female resident who was trapped inside the house. Two other residents managed to get out of the house before fire crews arrived.
Watch Manager, Andy Bates said:
“Although the investigation is on-going, it is believed that the fire started in the living room. The most probable cause of the fire is thought to be an electrical fault associated with the Christmas tree lights. However, the intensity of the fire was increased because the family had a real Christmas tree in their home which unfortunately had dried out over the Christmas period. This accelerated the fire which gave the family less time to escape.”
Real Christmas trees are a known fire hazard when introduced into domestic houses if they are not watered regularly to prevent them from drying out. Although a dry tree is not itself an ignition source if it catches fire it will rapidly burst into flames totally engulfing your living room within seconds.
Whilst the Christmas period is almost over, residents need to be mindful for next Christmas that if a real Christmas trees is brought into your home that it is placed in a water tight stand with adequate fresh water throughout the festive period. Maintaining high moisture levels by keeping trees and conifer boughs in water is the most-effective and least-expensive way to preserving the freshness of the tree and to reduce the associated fire hazard within your home.
Portfolio Holder for Community Protection, Councillor Richard Hobbs said:
“Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service are committed to reducing fires in the home, as well as deaths and injuries that result from these fires. This incident is a tragic reminder of how quickly fire can spread throughout the house and highlights the need for working smoke alarms to be present in all homes. The loss of any life in is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time. “
Crews are now visiting residents within the local community to provide free fire safety advice and reassure people that steps can be taken to reduce the risk of fires happening in their homes. Where necessary, they are also carrying out free home fire safety checks.
For further information on how to apply for a free home fire safety check call 01926 466282 or log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue