It’s a warning that has been circulating since as far back as we can remember, but it’s so important that it bears repeating again and again: ensure your fire alarm is working properly.
A family in Auckland, New Zealand is thanking their stars that their own alarm was fully functioning this week, after a blaze left their home ‘uninhabitable’.
According to reports, a fire broke out in the two-storey house with four children inside at the time – including a three-month-old tot sleeping upstairs. The children’s mother was also in the house at the time.
Authorities believe that the fire broke out when one of the children, who was ‘playing’ with a cigarette lighter upstairs, accidentally set a bed on fire.
The family was alerted to the blaze when the fire alarm began ringing, and it was at this point that one of the kids ran upstairs to bring the three-month-old to safety.
The fire service was called, and three brigades arrived on the scene shortly after to put out the fire. While the house is now ‘uninhabitable’, thankfully everyone escaped the fire without injury.
A member of the fire service praised the child (believed to be under 10 years old) who rescued the baby: "The baby certainly could have perished if the smoke alarm hadn't gone off. The child did a fantastic job and should be praised.”
