Two rescued from smoke-filled house

TWO people were rescued from a smoke-filled house at Warrington early today.
Fire crews from Warrington and Birchwood were involved in the rescue at a house in Manchester Road, Woolston shortly after 6.30am.
The two occupants of the house were trapped in an upstairs bedroom and were kept talking by fire control operators to ensure they stayed calm until fire appliances arrived at the scene.
Two teams of firefighters entered the house with hosereel jets and wearing breathing apparatus while another firefighter used a seven metre ladder to reach the bedroom window and make contact with the trapped people.
One team went upstairs to the bedroom while the other went to the kitchen where the fire had started. It was quickly extinguished
A positive pressure ventilation fan was used to disperse dense smoke and the two occupants were then led to safety by firefighters.
A search of the house was then carried to ensure no-one else was trapped.
Ambulance crews checked the casualties for signs of smoke inhalation and shock but they did not require hospital treatment.
Watch manager Tony O’Dwyer said: “The occupants were extremely lucky to walk away from this alive.
“Had it not been for fitted and working smoke alarms and the professionalism and actions of the fire crews that attended it could have been very different. Smoke alarms make a difference.”
He added that the information relayed by the control operators to the occupants to remain in the room with the door closed, due to the heavy smoke logging in the rest of the house and to open the window, enabled a successful outcome. By following this advice it saved the occupants from serious harm.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service off free smoke alarms and home fire safety checks. Call 08003890053 or visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk for more details.