News

NINE ESCAPE BIRTHDAY CAKE CANDLE FIRE

A family birthday party nearly ended in disaster last night (19 September) when a fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom of a Folkestone home.

Firefighters were called to the house in Flemming Way, Crete Way Down just after 7.30pm and found the main front bedroom smouldering and full of smoke.

It is reported that a woman in the house had taken a birthday cake upstairs into the bedroom to light the candles, one of which, unknown to her, dropped onto the bed setting light to the covers.

Six adults and three children, who were all inside when the fire started managed to get out safely. 

Folkestone Green Watch’s Manager Steve Flint said: “This incident could have been much more serious if the fire had remained undiscovered for longer. The smoke alarms in the property had had their batteries removed, making them useless.�

He continued: “It was only for the fact that someone left the house to go to the shop that they saw the flames through the bedroom window. This incident highlights the fact that fire can occur at any time and I cannot stress enough the importance of fitting smoke alarms and regularly checking them to make sure they work. Never ever remove batteries.�