Firefighters install smoke alarms after kitchen blaze in Darnley Road, Strood
A homeowner who smelled smoke coming from her kitchen tried to
tackle the blaze with a garden hose while firefighters were on
their way.
The woman in her late 20s was alone in the house in Darnley
Road, Strood, with her pet alsatian when a suspected electrical
fire broke out last night.
The home near the junction with Elaine Avenue had no smoke
alarms and was badly smoke-damaged.
However, firefighters said the woman, who was upstairs in the
house when the fire broke out, luckily escaped injury.
Police closed the road while crews attended at 6.45pm and
isolated the electrics before using water to put out the fire,
which destroyed about a fifth of the kitchen.
Martin Simmons, watch manager at Strood Fire Station, said:
"We fitted smoke detectors in the house afterwards because there
were none there.
"If it had been the middle of the night and she had been
asleep it could have been a different outcome. We'd like to remind
people how important it is to fit smoke detectors."
Firefighters also advise against homeowners trying to put out
blazes themselves.
03/02/13
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