An unconscious man had to be rescued from a fire caused by a burning pizza he had left unattended after a night out. The man put the food in his oven but then fell asleep at his Andover home in the early hours of Saturday (April 26).
Smoke from the burning oven initially went undetected as the batteries had been taken out of the downstairs smoke alarm. Fortunately the upstairs alarm eventually activated and a neighbour was able to raise the alarm. The man was carried unconscious from the house and was treated for smoke inhalation, but did not require hospital treatment.
Station Manager Glenn Bowyer, from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s community safety team, said: “Cooking after a night out, especially if alcohol has been involved, is usually a bad idea. You’re far more likely to fall asleep, leaving the the cooking to burn.”
“In this incident, the problem was compounded by the fact the batteries had been removed from the smoke alarm downstairs. This is clearly a very dangerous thing to do and in this case the presence of a second smoke alarm upstairs proved to be a potential lifesaver.”
This weekend brings a new round of industrial action by members of the Fire Brigades Union, with Hampshire’s resources likely to be significantly affected during the strike periods on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
SM Bowyer said the Andover incident perfectly illustrated why the Service is encouraging people to take extra care during the strikes to prevent unnecessary emergencies.
He added: “This incident tied up two crews from Andover for well over an hour and could clearly have been avoided.”
“This weekend, we would urge people to think twice about cooking after a night out and to check their smoke alarms well in advance to ensure they are working.“