Tot locked in flat pan fire drama
L12-1140 Suffolk Road, Downside, Dunstable, scene setter for child locked in house and fire could have started. Rick Redman JR 38 18.9.12
A toddler was rescued from a fire in Dunstable and given oxygen therapy after he was accidentally locked inside a flat with a frying pan that caught fire.
The boy’s carer briefly left the flat to take some rubbish to the bins but returned to find the front door had locked behind her.
The frying pan then overheated causing a small fire to start.
Two fire crews were sent to the incident in Suffolk Road, Downside, at 5.25pm on Monday (September 17), and the first crew arrived within minutes.
Crew Commander Andy Ellams said that they saw smoke coming from a first floor window.
He said: “Firefighters in breathing apparatus immediately went up to the front door of the flat, but didn’t enter that way as the young boy was just the other side of the door, and could have been injured if they had broken in.”
Instead the crew pitched a ladder from the ground and one firefighter entered the window to retrieve the child.
Two firefighters then went into the kitchen to put out the fire.
Mr Ellams added: “It was only a small fire - the frying pan had overheated, but it produced thick, acrid smoke. Fortunately, the toddler had been able to stay away from the smoke, and didn’t appear to be in any difficulty.
“However, we did some first aid checks and gave him some oxygen, until paramedics arrived to see if he needed any further treatment.”
An ambulance was called but no one was sent for hospital treatment.
One neighbour told the Gazette: “We saw the little lad when he was rescued and he seemed safe and well. They weren’t there long – they got the job done quickly.”
Mr Ellams said the crews took the opportunity to fit new smoke alarms into the flat, and visited neighbouring properties to offer home fire safety advice.
He said: “This was just the sort of thing can happen very easily with toddlers in the home, and highlights how easily fires can occur.
“Fortunately, it has ended happily.”
Fire safety advice is available from the Beds Fire and Rescue Service website at www.bedsfire.com, while Dunstable fire station will be holsting an open day this Saturday – see page 3 for details.
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