18 Dec 2012
A woman and her child have had to be rescued from a flat in Kent after a blaze broke out in the shop below while they were sleeping.
The Brent store in Dartford caught fire at around 11.40pm on Sunday and neighbours alerted fire crews that there may be people still inside the building as soon as they arrived.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service has said that the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious but the mother and child were rushed to hospital having suffered the effects of smoke inhalation.
The fire service’s Lee Abel says it highlights the value of smoke alarms. “There weren’t any smoke alarms so the only thing that woke them was firefighters banging on the door,” he said.
“Just three breaths of fire smoke can render you unconscious and, as this incident highlights, if you are asleep already, and without a smoke alarm to wake you, your chances of escaping are significantly reduced.”
The pair were taken to hospital in an ambulance and firefighters also saved two dogs from the flat and they survived the fire unharmed.
Copyright Press Association 2012