A potentially catastrophic incident was avoided thanks to a working smoke alarm and one neighbour’s quick thinking on Thursday afternoon (18 October).
Around 4 pm, firefighters responded to an emergency triple zero call from a neighbour reporting that a smoke alarm had activated in the house next door in Chapman.
Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy smoke coming from the house. Looking through the windows, the crew identified a person unconscious on the floor and immediately forced entry.
Paramedics assessed and treated the patient on the scene before transporting them to Canberra Hospital in a stable condition.
“We quickly contained the fire to the point of origin in the kitchen, and had it extinguished within minutes,” ACT Fire & Rescue South Commander Danny Brighenti said.
“If the smoke alarm had not activated – there would have been a significant delay in alerting emergency services, dramatically increasing the risk of catastrophic consequences.
“This incident is a timely reminder that working smoke alarms save lives.”
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