Fire crews return to blaze-hit home

Oswestry firefighters have returned to a fire-damaged home in Whittington to fit smoke alarms after the blaze trapped a woman in her bedroom.

Eirwen Day has urged others to check that the batteries in their alarms are in working order and said that if hers had been working she would not have had the heartache of her home ruined by smoke.

Mrs Day, 44, from Station Road, opened the door of her bedroom on Thursday afternoon to find the rest of the house full of thick black smoke.

Luckily she had her phone upstairs and was able to dial 999, staying on the phone to fire control staff who calmed her while summoning help.

Firefighters from Oswestry and Ellesmere put out the fire in her lounge, before leading her to safety.

The fire was caused by a teddy bear falling onto a gas fire. Mrs Day says a working smoke alarm would soon have alerted her.

Panic

"We had done what so many people do - taken the batteries out when they started making that awful bleeping. If we had taken 10 minutes to go down to the shop and get a new battery, we would not be in this mess now," she said.

"The fire service has been absolutely fantastic. They stayed on the phone to me while the crews were on there way. I was grateful as I did panic when smoke started to come through the bedroom door.

"Two officers came down and fitted new smoke alarms, free of charge. These have batteries that last for 10 years."

Alan Walker, the firefighter who climbed up a ladder to reassure Mrs Day while others were dousing the flames, said he carried out a home risk assessment at the house.

"We did 97 home risk assessments in the Oswestry area alone in March and as part of these will fit the 10-year battery smoke alarms," he said.

Watch manager for Oswestry fire service, John Davies, said Mrs Day had done the right thing by taking a phone upstairs with her.

By Sue Austin