Elderly Havant man 'saved' by smoke alarm after faulty freezer catches fire in the night

Crews were called at 3.44am after the faulty appliance caused a kitchen blaze in a flat at Compton Court in Chidham Close, Havant.

Ben Holt, crew manager at Havant Fire Station, said a man in his 80s had been asleep inside the property.

‘It was quite a slow, smouldering fire that had filled the house with smoke,’ he said.

‘Luckily his smoke alarm went off, that woke him up and his neighbours came to his assistance and came to get him out.

‘It does happen occasionally that kitchen appliances can catch fire like that, but luckily this gentleman had a smoke alarm fitted.

‘Without that he would have been in a lot more trouble.’

The blaze was put out using water from the man’s kitchen sink.

He was treated at the scene by South Central Ambulance Service but did not need to be taken to hospital, Mr Holt said.

However his property was was left with ‘significant’ smoke damage after the fire.

Mr Holt said: ‘Without the smoke alarm he would not have known about the fire and neither would his neighbours – the smoke alarm might have saved his life in this case.

‘The message here is that everyone should make sure they check their alarms and, if they don’t have them, make sure they get them fitted.’

Crews from Havant and Cosham left the scene at about 5am.