Working smoke alarms and escape plan sees family escape Hastings house fire without injury
Fire and Emergency New Zealand says working smoke alarms and an escape plan saw minimal damage done to a Hastings house and its occupants evacuate without injury after the front porch caught fire.
Emergency services were called to the fire on Townshend Street, St Leonards at about 7.30pm last night.
FENZ Hawke's Bay Area Commander Ken Cooper said the family, believed to include elderly and young children, were alerted to the fire by the noise of the glass breaking. They then initiated their escape plan, evacuated the property and called 111.
"There was not much damage done to the internal property so obviously the early notification from them and the fact we got there quickly prevented further damage."
Cooper says ensuring all properties have working smoke alarms, and its occupants have an escape route in place are two key priorities for them.
"We know having a working smoke alarm gives you that early notification that there's a problem and we know that a property will become fully involved in fire within a few minutes, therefore you haven't got time to think under pressure, so having your whole family knowing what their escape plan is, everyone can just act."
"And if the fire is developing and large we don't encourage people to put themselves at risk, just call 111 and get yourself to safety."
They also encourage people to regularly practice their escape plan, and at night, to ensure all occupants including children and elderly are familiar with the exit paths.
They are working with the New Zealand Police to establish the cause of the fire.
A police spokesperson said they were alerted to the fire by FENZ. "Police spoke to some of the occupants at the property and the circumstances of the fire are still being determined," the spokesperson said.
