CFA firefighters have reminded communities to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes following a kitchen fire in Langwarrin on Tuesday, 21 July.
Langwarrin and Skye Fire Brigades were called to a fire that ignited on a kitchen stove top on Noel Road at 6.48pm.
Firefighter Craig Aiton said the home had a working smoke alarm which alerted the occupant to the fire, and to undertake early intervention and self-evacuate.
“The occupant was cooking some food on the stove top and had fallen asleep while it continued to cook and the smoke alarm woke him up,” FF Aiton said.
“He also had a small fire extinguisher at his property, which allowed him to control the fire before our crews arrived.
“When we arrived the occupant had already self-evacuated the property.”
Just one in 10 Victorian households has their smoke alarms in the recommended locations, putting themselves at risk of serious injury or death.
Victoria’s firefighters recommend that smoke alarms should be located in every bedroom and living area, and should be interconnected, to give people the greatest chance of surviving a home fire.
“Without a working smoke alarm, the house would likely have been more severely damaged,” FF Aiton said.
“We encourage everyone in our community to install working smoke alarms.
“The smell of smoke will not wake you up. Smoke alarms save lives.”
