Wise Observer

The benefits of smoke alarms in providing an early warning to people in danger due to fires have been outlined.Speaking to the Leigh Reporter, firefighter Lloyd Watson made his comments after a family managed to escape from their blazing home due to being alerted by a detector.The fire began in a bedroom and then spread to the rest of the upper level of the home.He told the publication: “The fire alarm saved them. They didn’t even know it was happening. If they had not had a smoke alarm it could have been a lot worse.”As well as making people aware of fires, smoke alarms could well provide a means of limiting the amount of damage a blaze can cause, which could reduce the size of a Unison home insurance claim.Firefighters in Devon have stressed the need to fit smoke detectors after a Plymouth home was badly damaged by fire.Emergency services were called to the house on the morning of March 13th after a fire broke out in the kitchen, the Plymouth Herald reports.It is thought that a resident had left a pan on the cooker before leaving the house, with neighbours calling the fire service after they smelt smoke and saw flames.Fire investigation officer Ken Anderson said the incident had emphasised the risk of not installing smoke detectors.People should fit a smoke alarm on every floor of their property, according to the Fire Kills campaign.