Smoke Alarm Saves Fareham Mum And Toddler

7 October 2013, 18:07 | Updated: 7 October 2013, 18:09

A working smoke alarm came to the rescue of a mother and toddler after fire broke out in their Fareham home this afternoon (October 7th).

Fareham fire crews were called to Hillson Drive in the Hill Park area just before 1pm to a fire in a ground floor living room.

The mother and her child, who had been upstairs in their home, had managed to escape through the front door thanks to the early warning from the smoke alarm downstairs.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in under an hour but there was significant damage to the living room and smoke damage to the rest of the house.

However, Crew Manager Mark Ryder from Fareham Fire Station said the smoke alarm had averted a far worse situation.

He said:

"The mother heard the alarm activating downstairs and saw the fire in the living room.

"She then had time to dash back upstairs and grab her child before escaping out of the front door.

"Considering how quickly the fire developed, had she not had the warning from the smoke alarm she could have been trapped upstairs and we could have been dealing with a far more serious situation when we arrived."

The Red Cross's Fire and Emergency Support Service (FESS) also attended to offer help and advice to the mother and her family.

The cause of the fire is now being investigated.