Smoking in bed causes serious house fire

On-call firefighters from Ampthill put out a serious house fire this morning in Maulden caused by someone smoking in bed. The fire left the upstairs of the property severely damaged.

At 5.37 this morning (Friday 24 November 2017) Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Fire Control received a call from a personal alarm company who’d been contacted by a resident in Maulden whose bedroom was on fire. On-call crews from Ampthill Community Fire Station arrived minutes later and began tackling the fire which had caught hold in the bedroom.

Wearing breathing apparatus to protect themselves from the smoke and fumes firefighters entered the house to fight the fire using fire hoses and covering jets. The resident had self-evacuated the premises.

Crew Commander Ross Mann was one of the first firefighters into the building. “Myself and another firefighter wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and made our way upstairs. The heat and smoke was so intense that we kept low and when we got to the top of the stairs lay on the floor to fight the fire. The bedroom window had failed and the bedroom door was either open or had failed which caused the fire to throw itself onto the landing area in our direction due to the wind and creating an intense heat.

“We called for back-up from another team of two firefighters, also wearing breathing apparatus, and together we extinguished the fire out quickly. The heat was so extreme that it caused serious damaged the adjoining bathroom even though the fire did not enter the room. The hallway was also seriously damaged.

“Our message is please take care when smoking and always ensure you put out your cigarettes completely and in a safe receptacle. If you don’t have one please fit a smoke alarm – it could save your life.”

Firefighters remained at the scene for some time cutting away damaged property and damping down the scene. The resident was assisted by her relatives.