At 00:48hrs, on 17th July, crews from Swansea Central and Swansea West attended an incident where neighbours had reported smoke alarms sounding and a smell of smoke coming from a property in the Townhill area, Swansea.
On arrival, neighbours informed crews that they believed that the occupier was still inside. The house was full of smoke and Fire crews forced entry through the front door and a team equipped with Breathing Apparatus deployed to search the property. The BA crew located a male asleep in a bedroom, who they led to safety.
On investigation, the cause of the fire has been attributed to cooking that had been left unattended, resulting in the property filling with smoke. Thankfully, there were working smoke alarms at the property and vigilant neighbours, otherwise this situation could have had more serious consequences.
Will Bowen, Home Safety Manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “It is pleasing to see that no one was seriously hurt at this incident and it goes to prove the value of having working smoke alarms at your property. Cooking is by far the biggest cause of fires within people’s homes and it is vitally important that you don’t get distracted when you are in the kitchen.”
Due to an increase of kitchen fires during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the three Welsh Fire and Rescue Services have launched a campaign specifically highlighting the fire risks associated with cooking. For more information and safety advice please go to the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service website, or follow them on their Social Media Channels @mawwfire and the look for #Just1.
