House fire - family woken by smoke alarms

Fire crews have stressed the importance of working smoke alarms after a family was woken by theirs during the early hours to discover a fire in their home. 

Firefighters were called to the semi-detached house in Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, after the family of four and their dog escaped the property and called 999. 

On arrival, firefighters reported that there was a well-developed fire in the lounge and kitchen area with heavy smoke logging throughout the property. 

Watch Manager Gavin Ellis said:

"The fire had spread very quickly, with only a very small area of the downstairs not completely filled with smoke. Our crews worked well to contain the fire and bring it under control before extinguishing it by 5.20am and then ventilating the property. 

"The fire was caused by clip-on lights, which although had been turned off when the family went to bed, had turned back on during the night. The fire then spread to nearby items and quickly took told of the area. 

"Working smoke alarms save lives - it's as simple as that. This family was asleep when the fire started and if they hadn't been woken by their smoke alarm the fire and smoke would have quickly taken hold of the house and reached them.

"Without a working smoke alarm, this would have been a very different ending."

The house has been left with significant fire and smoke damage. 

Do you have working smoke alarms?

Smoke alarms saved this family's life. We want every home in Essex to have a working smoke alarm on every floor.

If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms at home, please get in touch so we can see how best to provide fire safety advice, either through a Home Safety Visit or advice over the phone.

You can get in touch with us at essex-fire.gov.uk/book

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Great Baddow is recruiting on-call firefighters; people who all live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and attend incidents when called by us.

If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter.

Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call