Warwickshire Firefighter urges residents to stay safe during lockdown after elderly woman dies in fire

One of Warwickshire’s leading firefighters has urged people to stay safe as they attempt to juggle family life with everyday household tasks during the current lockdown

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Services group manager Tim Sargent issued his warning after a Nuneaton woman in her 80s died after a fire started in the lounge of her bungalow earlier this week.

Mr Sargent said: “We want everyone to be as safe as possible, but we can’t do this without your help, so please follow our safety advice. Don’t overload plug sockets, ensure that if you are distracted when cooking that you take pans off the heat and don’t leave phones or tablets on charge when you go to bed at night.

“Sadly, we attended an incident on Tuesday where, despite the best efforts of all involved, the resident lost their life.

“So please stay safe, follow our advice and ensure that you have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your home.”

His warning comes at a time when more people are working from home or self-isolating alongside children who will provide a lot more distractions than usual, especially around mealtimes prompting his call to those in the kitchen to ensure pans are taken off the heat if they are distracted by a call from work or family members.

He also urged people to take simple measures such as keeping internal doors closed as much as possible especially overnight which would help stop a fire from spreading.

For more information on fire safety visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/firesafety

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