On 14th September, Hampshire Fire and Rescue responded to a 999 call in the early hours. A small fire was reported at a property, which had been caused by a cigarette thrown onto the wooden decking alongside the property and smouldered for approximately three hours.
The fire was put out on arrival and although there was not a lot of fire damage, a lot of smoke had entered the property. The family were awoken by their eighteen month old baby crying and when they got up, the house was full of smoke – visibility was down to three feet.
There were two smoke alarms in the property, however, one had the battery removed and the other was hanging off the ceiling with no battery. Fire officers said the family were extremely lucky – if it wasn’t for the baby waking up (possibly due to the smoke), the crews may well have been retrieving three bodies.
The crew installed two new smoke detectors before leaving the scene.