News

An 86-year-old woman cooking in her basement flat managed to escape from a blaze on Sunday (4 January) when her smoke alarms went off.

She immediately got out of the flat in Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone when the alarms, designed for people who are hard of hearing began to sound and flash.

Firefighters, who arrived on the scene just minutes later put out the fire in the heavily smoke filled property, wearing breathing apparatus and used a thermal imaging camera to find the source of the blaze.

The fire, which started in the living room, is believed to have been caused by an overheated television set.

Ambulance crews gave the woman, who was suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, oxygen and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Watch Manager Mark Jones said: “As this incident demonstrates smoke alarms provide vital early warning to the outbreak of fire. Fortunately smoke alarms had already been fitted in the flat and this, combined with the prompt actions of the occupier and fire crews on the scene, meant the fire was quickly contained."