Smoke alarms alert resident to flat fire

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of working smoke alarms after a resident was alerted to a kitchen fire in Leigh last night. 

On arrival, crews reported smoke was coming from the windows in a flat and the smoke alarms were going off.

Firefighters wearing Breathing Apparatus entered the flat and found a fire in the kitchen. 

Crews extinguished the fire and believe it was caused when the hob was accidentally turned on and items nearby caught alight. 

The flat has been left uninhabitable. 

Watch Manager Grant Jones from Leigh Fire Station said: “This incident shows how important it is to have working smoke alarms at home. They’ll alert you to the first signs of a fire in your home and we recommend you have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home. Test them regularly to make sure they’re working. 

“We recommend you keep your hob and the area around your hob clear as we often see incidents where hobs are accidentally turned on. It’s easily done so we recommend you keep the area clear after cooking and if you can, switch it off at the wall.”