Quick action from an occupant and a well-set-up smoke alarm system helped stem the damage of a building fire in Healesville.
After an electrical fire broke out in a bedroom, the occupant quickly called Triple Zero and shut the bedroom door, starving the blaze of oxygen that could have seen it grow.
Healesville Fire Brigade Captain Brian Earl said the Healesville and Badger Creek brigades were paged to smoke issuing from a house.
“The tenant was home at the time and called Triple Zero when they saw it and the information we received was a fire within a bedroom and house starting to fill with smoke,” he said.
“On first arrival we found that the house was full of smoke, the owners were standing at the driveway to meet the brigade and had a quick conversation with them… we wrapped it up relatively quickly so there wasn’t terribly much involved in it in that sense.
“But it was really good work by the occupant there in terms of having good working and interconnected smoke alarms and a really quick response to calling Triple Zero and closing the bedroom door behind them as they left, that really did contain that fire to that bedroom, which was a good little win in amongst a horrible situation.”
In a Facebook post, the brigade noted this serves as a warning to be wary of faulty electrical wiring, connections or appliances.
Mr Earl said quick reactions make a big difference in the event of a fire.
“Quick action to call Triple Zero means the quicker we can get there and good, clear information around the address and what the fire is, makes it nice and easy for us to get the right gear to the fire as quickly and smoothly as possible,” he said.
“The actions of the owner in terms of seeing it straight away, closing the bedroom door and calling Triple Zero had a significant impact in terms of containing that fire to that bedroom before it was allowed to breathe and establish through the rest of the house.
“We tend to get to this time of year and focus heavily on bushfire but everyone’s still living in their houses, we’re still using equipment, gear, and everything inside of houses so the potential exposure to house fires is just as relevant now.”
Residents are urged to ensure they turn off any power points, heaters and appliances that are not in use.
For more home fire safety information, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fires-in-the-home/home-fire-safety-checklist.
