Leigh Park house fire put out with neighbours help after heat lamp for ducklings starts living room blaze

FIRE crews were scrambled to a house fire in Leigh Park after a heat lamp used to keep pet ducklings warm overheated, with neighbours rushing out to help.
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Fire crews from stations in Cosham and Havant were sent to tackle the blaze in Norden Way at 11.45pm last night.

Neighbour Rebecca Waters, who has lived in the street for two years, said she was woken by the sound of children screaming and rushed over to the property to find a sofa and part of the living room wall ablaze.

She said: ‘Everyone flew over in their underpants.

Fire crews were called to a living room blaze caused by a heat lamp for pet ducklings in Norden Way. Picture: Richard LemmerFire crews were called to a living room blaze caused by a heat lamp for pet ducklings in Norden Way. Picture: Richard Lemmer
Fire crews were called to a living room blaze caused by a heat lamp for pet ducklings in Norden Way. Picture: Richard Lemmer

‘I was surprised by how quick everyone woke up.

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‘We could hear children screaming – it was horrible – and the smoke alarm was going off.

‘The smoke alarms in these houses are really good – we are always joking about how we can tell when someone is cooking.

‘But they were a life saver last night.’

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A couple and their three boys managed to escape the fire unharmed, according to Rebecca and the fire service, but neighbours had to ‘scream’ at the children to evacuate – as they were so desperate to save their pet ducklings.

Rebecca said: ‘The boys didn’t want to get out of the house because they wanted to save the ducklings. Everyone was screaming for them to get out of the house.’

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Firefighters arrived at the scene to find that residents had used buckets of water put out the fire.

The cause of the blaze is believed to be an overheated heat lamp used to keep pet ducklings warm in the property’s living room, according to Havant firefighter Steve Winter.

He said: ‘The heat lamp dropped on to the floor of the cage and overheated.

‘When we arrived the fire was out, and we gave the residents some advice on what to do when facing a fire.

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‘We advise to get out of the property and close the door on the fire.

‘Putting out the fire worked for this family, but you can be taking in smoke and putting yourself at risk.’

One duckling died, according to firefighter Winter.

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