The incident took place in a flat in a low rise block in town and was caused by someone leaving their cooking unattended on a hob.
Shortly before 2 pm pm on Tuesday, the Fire Service received a call from a concerned neighbour to say that a smoke alarm had activated in the flat.
Nine firefighters from Green Watch attended the scene and were alerted by the original caller to a domestic smoke alarm going off on the first floor of the property.
The caller could also smell smoke in the communal hallway and had evacuated the building prior to the Fire Service’s arrival.
Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property with a high pressure hose reel and quickly established that the flat was heavily smoke-logged.
An internal inspection of the premises established that the smoke was coming from unattended cooking that had been left on the hob in the kitchen of the flat.
A mechanical fan was then used to clear the building of smoke.
Crew commander Craig Channing said that he wanted to remind everyone about the importance of having a working domestic smoke alarm.
‘This incident highlights the importance of how a working smoke detector can alert the occupier, or in this case the neighbour of the property, to a fire in the very early stages to ensure everyone can evacuate the building before a fire takes hold,’ he explained.
‘Members of the public are urged to contact the Fire and Rescue Service should they have any questions relating to their family’s’ fire safety at home.’
