Domestic building fire

At 5.26am on Thursday (18) two crews from Leighton Buzzard and two crews from Dunstable were called to a house fire in Woodman Close, Leighton Buzzard.  

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reels and jets to extinguish a fire in the kitchen of the property, as well as using high-pressure fans to clear smoke.  

Fire survival guidance was provided to the resident by Fire Control, instructing the caller to get everyone in the property into the front bedroom, shut the door and put pillows at the bottom of the door. They were then told to go to the window and wait for the fire service.

Two residents were led to safety by fire crews from a first floor window, using ladders. An elderly man has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.    

All the ground floor suffered serious smoke damage, and the kitchen was destroyed by fire.

A fire investigation has determined the fire started accidentally, with the most likely cause to be a failure of a fridge.

Residents were alerted to the fire by a working smoke alarm. Group Commander Steve Sugars said: “Having a working smoke alarm on each floor of your property will give you warning of a possible fire in your home, giving you the best chance of survival. This resident did everything right and, in challenging circumstances, followed the guidance of our experts in Fire Control to keep her and her father safe until we arrived.  

“This is a timely reminder to check that your smoke alarms works and make sure you have one on each floor of your property.”