Girl escapes house blaze

By Danielle Nuttall

A TEENAGER had a lucky escape last night after fire engulfed an upstairs airing cupboard, sending plumes of thick smoke throughout the two-storey home.

The 16-year-old girl, who was home alone at the time of the incident, managed to escape to her next door neighbour's home before the blaze took hold of an area of the first floor.

Firefighters arrived to find the airing cupboard well alight and the roof and first and second floors severely smoke logged.

The blaze broke out at a large detached property in Wincanton Close, Ipswich, shortly before 5.30pm.

Three fire engines from Ipswich attended the scene and a turntable ladder.

Sub officer Dave Collins, of Suffolk Fire Service, said: “Basically we got a call to a fire that we believe involved an airing cupboard. We are not looking at anything suspicious.

“There was a bit of fire damage upstairs but a lot of smoke logging. The airing cupboard was well alight.

“There was a younger girl at home. She did all the right things. She shut the doors, came out and called us. We have had paramedics give her a check over as a precaution. She's obviously quite shaken.

“The damage is confined to the first floor. There was severe smoke logging in the roof space and on the first floor.”

The girl's parents were believed to have been dropping her brother at the airport when the fire broke out.

Her next door neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the first he had known of the blaze was when he heard voices outside his front door.

He said the young girl waited inside his home for her parents to arrive so paramedics could check her over.

“She thinks the fire was coming from an airing cupboard,” he said. “I was very impressed how quickly the fire service turned up,” he added.

Firefighters last night reminded members of the public to install smoke alarms and to regularly check if they were working because they saved lives.