West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is urging residents to close internal doors and use heating appliances safely after a fire in Chichester on 5 January.
Fire crews attended a blaze at a flat on Baxendale Road at 8pm, where an electric blanket on a blow-up bed had overheated, igniting nearby materials. Firefighters quickly contained the fire to a first-floor bedroom, thanks to the occupier closing the door after hearing the smoke alarm.
Anton Mezzone, Station Manager at Chichester, said: “The occupiers of this property perfectly followed every bit of safety advice we recommend in the event of a fire: firstly, they had working smoke alarms, they then closed the doors and swiftly left the property. By following this advice, the damage caused by this fire was kept to a minimum.
