sellers
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- Feb 2, 2009
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Thought I'd pass this on as it may prove useful to some of you to appreciate the dangers of electricity but not as we normally expect.
Friday just gone, midday and I'm driving through Blackpool on my way to the next job when the apprentice shouts up. 'Theres smoke coming from that shop' I look up and low and behold theres grey/black smoke pouring out of an upstairs window of a bike shop. Quickly I pull over and we both get out running into the shop.
As we get in theres no one in there except a 10 year old girl crying her eyes out on the phone to the fire brigade. We tell her to stay downstairs next to the front door. We then run through to the back of the shop and up the stairs where we are greeted with a layer of thick toxic smoke, instantly making us choke and really stinging the eyes. We were shouting for any signs of life. We should have asked the girl but in the panic we didn't. Anyway we both hit the deck and crawl through the upstairs room towards another room with the door open where the smoke is belowing out of. Still shouting and not getting any reply, we reach this room where there is no gap of decent air and we can see the fire through the door in another room further back, we also find a guy rushing around not making any sense, I had to physically grab him and shake him to see if anyone was trapped in this room with the fire, to which he finaly replied, no.
He was getting buckets of water from this room, which was a kitchen (couldn't tell) and pouring it in the room which was on fire. I was pleading with him to leave it before he gets gassed out. He was having non of it, I don't think he realised the seriousness of it. I then sent the apprentice out to a garage next door to get some extinguishers. He returned within seconds and finally the fire was out.
This fire was about the physical size of a small fridge but the ammount of smoke that came off it was immense. I have so much more respect for fire now and the dangers of it. I doubt anyone could breathe in that smoke and would be knocked out in a matter of seconds if unaware. This shows the importance of having smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in properties and having a proper fire risk assesment carrying out.
And finaly the cause of the fire was a downlight! Boxes had been stacked too high and too close to a downlight! This could happen to any lamp that gives out this kind of heat, so please make sure you install lamps correctly to manufactures specs and to common sense! This could have been a lot, lot worse!
I hope I never experience a fire again, in my property or anyone elses.
Friday just gone, midday and I'm driving through Blackpool on my way to the next job when the apprentice shouts up. 'Theres smoke coming from that shop' I look up and low and behold theres grey/black smoke pouring out of an upstairs window of a bike shop. Quickly I pull over and we both get out running into the shop.
As we get in theres no one in there except a 10 year old girl crying her eyes out on the phone to the fire brigade. We tell her to stay downstairs next to the front door. We then run through to the back of the shop and up the stairs where we are greeted with a layer of thick toxic smoke, instantly making us choke and really stinging the eyes. We were shouting for any signs of life. We should have asked the girl but in the panic we didn't. Anyway we both hit the deck and crawl through the upstairs room towards another room with the door open where the smoke is belowing out of. Still shouting and not getting any reply, we reach this room where there is no gap of decent air and we can see the fire through the door in another room further back, we also find a guy rushing around not making any sense, I had to physically grab him and shake him to see if anyone was trapped in this room with the fire, to which he finaly replied, no.
He was getting buckets of water from this room, which was a kitchen (couldn't tell) and pouring it in the room which was on fire. I was pleading with him to leave it before he gets gassed out. He was having non of it, I don't think he realised the seriousness of it. I then sent the apprentice out to a garage next door to get some extinguishers. He returned within seconds and finally the fire was out.
This fire was about the physical size of a small fridge but the ammount of smoke that came off it was immense. I have so much more respect for fire now and the dangers of it. I doubt anyone could breathe in that smoke and would be knocked out in a matter of seconds if unaware. This shows the importance of having smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in properties and having a proper fire risk assesment carrying out.
And finaly the cause of the fire was a downlight! Boxes had been stacked too high and too close to a downlight! This could happen to any lamp that gives out this kind of heat, so please make sure you install lamps correctly to manufactures specs and to common sense! This could have been a lot, lot worse!
I hope I never experience a fire again, in my property or anyone elses.
