When fire strikes everyone should get out, stay out and call us out – that’s the message from firefighters who attended an incident at a house in Dumfries on Wednesday morning (30 April).
Two crews from Dumfries Community Fire Station reached the Cresswell Avenue property within five minutes of a 999 call made around 9:40am.
Arriving to find the residents had already left their property, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service team quickly extinguished a small fire in a kitchen appliance that had produced a significant amount of smoke.
Watch Manager Peter Morgan, the incident commander, said: “Even small fires produce large amounts of toxic smoke that can very quickly overcome someone.
“In this case the householders had gotten themselves out of the property and closed doors behind them as they went, which helped limit the damage caused by smoke.
“When fire does strike it’s crucial everyone gets out right away and calls 999.
“This property was also protected by working smoke alarms and these are absolutely essential devices for every home – they buy vital time for people to get to safety and for firefighters to arrive.
“We also encourage everyone to consider having a heat alarm fitted in the kitchen, as this is the room where most house fires start and these give further early warning of the danger.”
Firefighters throughout Dumfries and Galloway routinely conduct free home fire safety visits to share expert advice with residents.
As a popular part of the Join Scotland’s Fight Against Fire programme, the visits identify hazards and help householders take simple steps to keep themselves and their homes safe.
To arrange a visit call the freephone number 0800 0731 999 or text ‘check’ to 61611.
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