Issued on: Friday 5 April 2019

FIRE SERVICE OFFERS ADVICE FOLLOWING FATAL FIRE

On Wednesday 27 March, we attended a house fire in Saffron Lane, Leicester. Crews from Southern, Wigston and Central Fire Stations attended the incident along with East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicestershire Police.

Sadly, the occupant was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire, which is believed to have been caused by smoking material, is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of the Fire and Rescue Service are with the family, friends and acquaintances of the deceased.

As part of our post-incident response procedure, we will be providing reassurance and advice on home fire safety in order to prevent any future similar incidents occurring. Firefighters will be in the local area over the weekend, offering Home Safety Checks to residents.

It is essential that everyone stays safe from fire in their properties. We would like to encourage all residents in the neighbourhood to take advantage of this opportunity, to familiarise themselves with what to do in the event of a fire, but more importantly, how they can prevent fires happening in the first place.

Firefighters from Wigston and Central Fire and Rescue Stations, will be in the Saffron Lane area door knocking on:

Saturday 6 April and Sunday 7 April

Please note, all Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service employees carry identification cards, which they are more than happy to show you. If someone approaches your home posing as an employee of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, and are unwilling or unable to show you identification, do not let them in and report them to Leicestershire Police via leics.police.uk/contact-us.

In the meantime, a wide range of tips on how to keep you and your home safe from fire are available on Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s website, which can be found by visiting leics-fire.gov.uk/your-safety/at-home/.

If you smoke in your home, we would urge you to be cautious and follow our safety advice:

  • Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully
  • Use a proper ashtray
  • Never leave a lit cigarette lying around
  • Take extra if you smoke when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you have been drinking
  • Never smoke in bed

For more safety advice, visit leics-fire.gov.uk/your-safety/at-home/smoking-and-e-cigarettes.

To request a Home Safety Check, visit lfrs.egressforms.com/Form/HomeFireSafetyCheck

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
Interviews can be arranged through prior arrangement with Corporate Communications on the details below.

About the Service

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.

The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents. In the last ten years, fire-related incidents have reduced by 43 percent. 

During 2016/17, the Service attended 694 road traffic collisions, of which 148 were extrications from vehicles, in addition to ­2,259 fires. 272 schools were visited as part of the Service’s schools programme, delivering fire and road safety education to pupils. Staff organised or took part in 1,613 community safety events, promoting fire and road safety and arson prevention, and 145 Virtual Fatal Four (VF4) events as part of the Service’s young drivers’ road safety project. 

Contact:
Corporate Communications
Direct: 0116 229 2195
corporate.communications@lfrs.org

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