Firefighters in breathing apparatus used a high pressure jet to extinguish a blaze in a bedroom at a property in Livingston last night.
A 999 call to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reported the incident in Gowanbank shortly after 8:35pm and two appliances from Livingston Fire Station were sent in response.
Crews arrived to find a well-developed fire within a first-floor bedroom in a two-storey terraced house and a team of four firefighters extinguished the flames.
The SFRS team provided oxygen therapy to a woman and a girl who appeared to have sustained slight smoke inhalation and requested an ambulance attend the scene.
A man and boy had also been inside the property and all four casualties received precautionary check-ups from paramedics, who determined that they did not need to attend hospital for further treatment.
The fire began when a mattress ignited as a result of a small child playing with a lighter and SFRS has reminded the public of the need to make sure these items are always kept out of their reach.
Station Manager Martyn Brandrick, the commanding officer at Livingston Fire Station, said: “Kids are often curious about objects like lighters without understanding the danger they pose.
“It’s important we all make sure matches, lighters and cigarettes are always kept well out of children’s reach and that we help them understand these items are dangerous, that they aren’t toys and should never be played with.
“Fire can spread incredibly quickly. Flames, smoke and fumes travel rapidly through a home and as well as threatening lives they also cause significant damage.
“Thankfully this incident has not resulted in tragedy but it’s obviously a scary experience for the family and we know that fire in the home, even where no-one is hurt, can leave a lasting impact.
“We all have cherished possessions that just couldn’t be replaced and the loss of these is just one of the ways in which house fires cause significant emotional trauma.”
When fire does strike the early warning provided by working smoke alarms is crucial if people are to have the time they need to get to safety and call 999.
Free home fire safety visits can be arranged by calling SFRS on the freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or via the SFRS website www.firescotland.gov.uk.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
