Fareham residents 'lucky to be alive' after electric socket fire destroys child's bedroom

A FAMILY in Fareham are 'lucky to be alive' after an electric socket is believed to have sparked a fire that tore through an upstairs bedroom and has left the couple and their three children homeless.
Richard Lemmer
By Richard Lemmer
Published 8th Mar 2022, 15:37 BST
The fire ripped through the 12-year-old's bedroom in less than 45 minutes.The fire ripped through the 12-year-old's bedroom in less than 45 minutes.
The fire ripped through the 12-year-old's bedroom in less than 45 minutes.

Fire crews from Fareham, Cosham, Gosport and Portchester were scrambled to the first-floor bedroom blaze in Burnham Wood at around 5pm yesterday.

Firefighters spent two hours using several jets and hose reels to tackle the fire that started in a 12-year-old boy’s bedroom.

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Now, the family have been left devastated by the damage to their home – but the fire could have easily ended in much greater tragedy, according to the homeowner.

The family believes that the fire was sparked by a electrical socket behind a wardrobe.The family believes that the fire was sparked by a electrical socket behind a wardrobe.
The family believes that the fire was sparked by a electrical socket behind a wardrobe.

The 52-year-old, who asked not be named, said: ‘I said to (my son) that he’s lucky to be alive. He’s got a second life. If that happened while he was asleep he would have been a goner.’

The 12-year-old added: ‘I came home from school at four o’clock, I changed in my room and I left and shut the door – about 15 minutes later I saw smoke coming out from under the door.’

The family believe that the source of the fire was an electrical socket, left badly melted by the blaze.

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The homeowner said: ‘(The firefighters) couldn’t figure out initially where the fire was, the smoke was so thick.

‘We assume it was an electrical fault because some of the other electrical points stopped work – my wife noticed that the dishwasher just stopped.’

The resident of three years added: ‘I made a point of getting smoke alarm powered by the mains when we moved in. And I had someone come to check all the electricals. I am a very cautious person.’

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Despite his precautions, the fire and smoke failed to set off the battery-powered smoke alarm in the upstairs landing.

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The 52-year-old said: ‘I am thinking of getting smoke alarms for every room.’

Now the family have been left looking for temporary accommodation, as the fire damage has left their home, which is covered by building’s insurance, without electricity or water.

The father-of-three said: ‘It’s a lot of damage.

‘The heat burst pipes, which caused the kitchen ceiling to collapse.’

He added: ‘People across the road have offered us anything we need. But we don’t want to be a burden.’

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Related topics:FarehamGosportPortchester