Yesterday at 13:25hrs a call was received by Fire Control from a member of the public reporting a fire in a property at The Knolls, Shrewsbury.
A total of two fire appliances from Shrewsbury and the Incident Commander were mobilised to the incident.
On arrival, the fire crews were met with thick, dark smoke issuing from the front door and under the tiled roof. One person was outside the front door of the property.
Two fire crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the property with hose reel jets. Both crews entered the property through the front door and were able to quickly bring the fire under control.
The Incident Commander, Sub Officer Cameron Taylor, from Shrewsbury Fire Station said "Unfortunately, the occupier had lit a candle and had then fallen asleep in a chair. The candle was located close to some paper which caught on fire." "The occupier was woken up by the noise of their working smoke alarms located within the property." He added "The fire had damaged the lounge and smoke had affected a total of five rooms within the property."
The occupier had made an attempt to smother the fire with pillows, however this was unsuccessful and as the fire developed, the occupier made their escape from the property.
Sub Officer Taylor stated "This incident shows the dangers of placing candles too close to combustible materials and the benefits of having fully working smoke detectors correctly fitted in your property" and added "Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service urge people to have at least one working smoke alarm on each floor in the home."
If you would like advice on fire prevention, smoke detection or would like to take advantage of a free Home Fire Safety Check please contact the Community Fire Safety Team on 01743 260 298.
