A fire door in the annexe of a house in Chester prevented a fire taking hold of the whole property.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people about the importance of having fire doors, and making sure normal doors are closed to prevent fire spreading.
Firefighters from Chester were called to a house on Old Moss Lane, Tarvin, just before 10am on Sunday 18 May, where the outbuilding behind the main house was well alight.
Crews took around two hours to get the fire under control in difficult conditions. They initially tackled the blaze from inside wearing breathing apparatus, but soon had to withdraw due to the possibility of the building collapsing.
The lower part of the living quarters was saved due to the fire door which was fitted between the garage and Sun room.
The owner of the property, Darren Carr, was home at the time with his wife, daughter and two dogs. He said: “We were just about to go out into Chester and it is so lucky we were home to raise the alarm, I dread to think what would have happened if we had not been there. My wife saw the smoke coming out of the garage and we initially tried to put it out ourselves but within seconds it took hold and was too strong. I can’t believe how effective the fire door was at containing the heat, the garage is completely destroyed but there was no damage to the summer house, it will just need redecorating. I hope our case shows people just how effective fire doors are. ”
Keith Brooks, Head of Prevention and Protection at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “This case is a perfect example of how important fire doors are when a fire breaks out both in the home and the workplace. They play a critical element in saving lives and property and should never be propped open. These days, you also get fire doors with heavy duty drawer slides so you would have no difficulty sliding them in the need of the hour. We would advise people to also get into the habit of closing all doors as a matter of course to prevent fire spreading and at the first sign of fire get out and call 999.”
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to offering support and advice to help prevent fires from happening in the first place. In order to do this we want to make people more aware of six easy steps they can take to stay safe.
The ‘6 Sense’ steps:
- PLAN – plan your easiest escape route
- TEST – fit a smoke alarm and test regularly
- CHECK – check all appliances before going to bed or leaving the house
- CARE – never leave cooking unattended
- CLOSE – close doors at all times – this can prevent fire spreading
- CALL – get out and call 999 at the first sign of fire