Warning about open fires after household has lucky escape

A warning to be extra careful with open fires has gone out to householders this Christmas after a family in Onchan had a lucky escape.

Firemen were called to blaze in First Avenue, Onchan, at around 11.30 this morning (Wed)

Thick black smoke could be seen coming from the premises.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the building and found the front room of the house to be well ablaze. However, they managed to contain the fire to within the room and prevent it spreading further throughout the house.

The family who lived in the house had evacuated the building and were all safe.

The fire had been caused by a log falling out of an open fire while the householder had been out of the property for a short time.

The log had knocked the fireguard over and set fire to an artificial Christmas tree.

Fortunately, the woman concerned had closed all the doors in the house before leaving, preventing the fire from spreading quickly through the building and she immediately evacuated the property and called the fire brigade, rather than trying to tackle the blaze herself.

Crews remained at the scene for around 40 minutes to ensure the building was safe and well ventilated.