News

Residents trapped in a blaze in Folkestone had to be rescued by fire crews after they ignored the sound of the smoke alarm.
 

Firefighters from both Folkestone and Hythe fire stations were sent to block of flats in Marine Terrace, shortly after 7.00pm yesterday following reports of a fire in a flat.

When they arrived, crews wearing breathing apparatus discovered a fire in a bedroom of a flat on the first floor.

Several residents had acted on the warning sound coming from the smoke alarm system and left the premises, but it soon became apparent to firefighters that two residents, who were slow with reacting to the warning, had become trapped in the building by thick smoke.

Folkestone Crew Manager Andy Batchelor said: "The crews were searching the heavily smoke logged building for anyone trapped, when they discovered two men. One of the men, in his sixties, had been overcome by the smoke fumes and had to be carried to safety by our crews, while the other, in his fifties, had to be led from the building due to the poor visibility in the communal corridors.

Andy warned: "These two men were lucky that the alarm was raised early enough for firefighters to be able to rescue them before they were seriously injured. They put themselves at unnecessary risk by not acting when the smoke alarm sounded. We hope that this example acts as a stark reminder to all residents to never ignore the sound of a smoke alarm. They provide early warning in the event of a fire and buy you time to get out safely."

The man affected by smoke inhalation was given oxygen therapy at the scene by firefighters and was taken by ambulance to hospital.