Smoke alarms save residents from house fire

Residents escaped from a house in Leicester fire after being alerted by smoke alarms.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were sent to the property in Queens Road at 04:50 GMT on Saturday morning.

They were met with a "well-developed" fire and used water jets and breathing apparatus to bring the flames under control, the fire service said.

It added that residents were alerted by working smoke alarms and were able to escape the property safely before crews arrived.

The road was closed as emergency services dealt with the fire, but has since reopen

Pictures taken by the fire service show multiple rooms in the house completely gutted by fire.

Watch manager Mike Bollard, from Eastern Fire Station, said: "I can't stress enough the importance of having working smoke alarms within your homes.

"This incident has proved that if smoke alarms are fitted properly and maintained by regular testing, they could save your life."

The fire service said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Crews spent 10 minutes extinguishing the blaze, and remained at the property for another three hours.

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