Mary Crowley in the ruins of her home in Bayles, with the smoke alarm she credits with saving her life last week.By Paul Dunlop
MARY Crowley has no doubt she would be dead today, but for one small thing.
Holding up a barely recognisable, twisted and blackened metal object she found among the charred ruins of her home, she credits it with making all the difference.
“The smoke alarm, honest to goodness, saved my life,” Mrs Crowley said.
“I wouldn’t be still here without it.”
Mrs Crowley’s home in Eadies Road, Bayles, was almost completely destroyed by fire last Wednesday.
It was one of a number of serious fires in the district making for a hectic week for Country Fire Authority volunteers. The blaze began in Mrs Crowley’s kitchen after she accidentally left her stove on.
Exhausted after a typically busy day, the Avon representative said she had cooked a meal and was watching television in the lounge room when she heard a strange noise.
“I could hear beeping, not too loud, but persistent,” she said.
“I thought ‘what on earth is that?’ and went up the passageway.
“Just as I twigged it was the smoke alarm I went into the kitchen and saw the fire. A few minutes more and it could have been too late.”
Acting on instinct, Mrs Crowley did her best to extinguish the flames, which by that stage were licking the ceiling. She also dialled 000.
“The flames were leaping up really high. I thought ‘I’ve got to do something here or the house is going to go’.”
A wet blanket helped to smother the burning pot, but Mrs Crowley knew by then the fire had spread into the roof.
She rushed her pet dog Pebbles out the door and, taking a deep breath, raced back in and gathered what possessions she could before the house, where she’d lived for more than 30 years, was consumed.
CFA units from Bayles, Lang Lang, Kooweerup, Tynong and Nar Nar Goon were called to fight the blaze.
Firefighters wore a special breathing apparatus to combat the effects of the thick smoke that had enveloped the kitchen and spread into other rooms.
Bayles CFA captain Jarrod McDonald said the fire was brought under control fairly quickly but the damage had already been done.
Firefighters stayed at the house for several hours. Mr McDonald said their first thought was for Mrs Crowley’s welfare.
He said she had been very brave and done almost everything right.
“It certainly could have been very different,” Mr McDonald said.
CFA Cardinia Brigade administration officer Chris Barber said the incident highlighted how easily home fires could start, particularly during winter. “When cooking oil or fat reaches a certain temperature, it will ignite. Throwing water on the fire can make it worse. The flames need to be smothered to stop the blaze,” Mr Barber said.
Mrs Crowley said she had been overwhelmed by the kindness of family and friends in the wake of the fire.
She paid special tribute to Red Cross and the CFA volunteers.
Cheerful despite the loss, Mrs Crowley said setbacks such as this helped prioritise the most important things in life.
“A house is a house, you move on. Next time though, the smoke alarm is going to be a real screamer.”
