Roof top rescue
by Hayley Robinson
A couple had to be rescued from the roof of a block of
flats after a fire broke out this morning (Saturday).
Firefighters were called to the four-storey building in Harbour
Street, Ramsgate, just before 7am.
The alarm was initially raised by a man living on the second
floor after he was woken by the smoke alarm sounding in the
communal staircase. When he went to investigate he found
the first floor heavily smoke logged and was forced back by the
smoke and heat coming from the unoccupied flat.
He escaped through the front door before dialling
999.
A man and a woman, believed to be in their late 30s or
early 40s, who live on the top floor, were also woken by the
alarm. They were forced to make their way up to the roof as the
stairs were filled with thick smoke.
Two appliances and an aerial appliance from Ramsgate plus
another fire engine from Margate were called to the scene.
Crews wearing breathing apparatus searched the property while
teams on the ground used two hose reels and a covering jet to
extinguish the blaze.
Tim Oliver, crew manager at Ramsgate fire station, said the
aerial appliance was used to bring the pair down from the roof
safely. They were both unhurt.
Russ Jordan, Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s group manager,
added: “When firefighters arrived it was a well developed fire and
crews did an excellent job of stopping the fire spreading and
limiting the damage to the unoccupied flat.”
The room where the fire broke out was destroyed by fire. The
rest of the flat suffered smoke damage.
The cause is currently unknown but it is not being treated as
suspicious.
Crews remained at the scene damping down until around noon.
Police were asked to attend to secure the building.
19/01/13
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