On black Friday we urge you to put a smoke alarm at the top of your shopping list.
Last night a woman and her four children cheated death when a fire ripped through their bedroom as they were sleeping.
There wasn’t a working smoke alarm in the house. The woman luckily woke up and got herself and her four children, aged 7, 6, 4 and 3 months old, to safety. They also raised the alarm to three people upstairs who also escaped unhurt.
Firefighters believe that had this happened in the early hours the family may have lost their lives.
Fire investigator Owen Neale said:
“Today is being called Black Friday where people will be spending money on luxury things but I urge everyone who hasn’t got one already to buy a smoke alarm for every level of your home. It could be the difference between life and death.”
“This incident highlights the fine margin between surviving a house fire or sadly losing your life. Had this happened in the early hours this could have had tragic consequences. We believe the fire was caused by an electrical appliance.”
The Brigade was called at 2225 and the fire was under control at 2311. Fire crews from Ilford fire station attended the scene.