Alert firefighters beat the alarm

By Paul Dunlop
FIRE fighters at Beaconsfield can claim a new record for response time after beating the alarm to a burning house last week.
Even the people inside the home did not know it was on fire until CFA crews woke them up.
Brigade support officer Paul Little said firefighters were on their way back to the station after attending a bin fire around 4.30am on Thursday.
“Crews smelt smoke while travelling in the Wood Street area. On investigation, they discovered that the smoke was coming from a nearby house,” Mr Little said. Firefighters went inside and alerted the occupants, who were grateful for the unexpected wakeup call.
Mr Little said crews were able to keep the fire to a fuse box and a section of the roof and wall cavity with little damage.
Beaconsfield CFA captain Michael Ott praised crews for their quick thinking.
“The crew is to be commended for taking the initiative to investigate the smell they noticed from within the truck and catching the fire early,” he said.
“The damage could have been far more extensive had it not been caught when it was, as the fire had already extended to the roof space.
“It is not often that the fire brigade knocks on the door to alert residents that their house is on fire, usually it is the other way around,” Mr Ott said.
Three trucks from Beaconsfield and Berwick attended the incident along with about 15 firefighters.
The fire is believed to have started from inside the fuse box.
Mr Ott urged residents to ensure their fuse boxes, electrical wiring and switches were checked regularly by an electrician.