Family evacuated in house fire

From the archive, first published Tuesday 20th Mar 2007.

A family had a lucky escape when a towel left over a gas heater caught fire early today.

Fire crews were called to the blaze in Ashgrove, Great Horton, Bradford, which substantially damaged a bedroom, at around 6am.

The fire was only detected when someone sleeping on the floor above smelled smoke.

The family, including an eight-year-old child, were evacuated from the property.

A spokesman for Bradford fire station said: "This could have been a tragic incident. Fortunately there was no one sleeping in the bedroom at the time - if there had been it could have been fatal.

"There were two smoke alarms fitted but neither was functional. We subsequently fitted seven alarms to the house.

"There are two messages here. Firstly never, ever hang towels or any other flammable material over gas appliances. There was also a bed pushed up against the heater which caught fire."

He also advised that smoke alarms be tested regularly.

"If you are not sure how to do this you can contact your local fire station on freephone 0800 587 4536," he added.