Broken Hill’s Fire and Rescue crews were called to a house fire yesterday in Railway Town, where a heating device used in a reptile enclosure is thought to have sparked a fire.
FRNSW Station Commander Dale Gillespie, who was at the scene, told the Barrier Truth that around 4pm yesterday (Tuesday, October 31), the station received a triple-zero call about a house fire on Nicholls St. En route to the scene, they “received multiple calls.”
“Two trucks responded to the initial call, but a third crew was called upon after arriving at the house in case the fire expanded rapidly,” said Commander Gillespie.
“The house was locked up and no one was home so crews forced entry in breathing apparatus and made their way to the back of the house to the kitchen area to extinguish the fire.
“The fire was very close to breaching the ceiling lining and a window was cracked and about to break, which would have rapidly spread the fire through the house,” said the Commander. “But due to excellent firefighting by the crews, the fire was prevented from expanding.
“A working fire alarm alerting neighbours to the fire, and then their quick-thinking call to triple zero and use of a garden hose certainly helped to save this house,” said Mr Gillespie. “This helped firefighters to quickly contain and extinguish the fire.
“After conducting a fire investigation, the determined cause of the fire is believed to have been a heat element or heat lamp used to keep a reptile warm,” said the Commander. “Crews were able to rescue the Bearded Dragon, and no one was injured during the fire.”
Fire and Rescue would like to take this opportunity to remind people to:
- ensure all smoke alarms are working.
- not overload power boards.
- turn off heaters and other electrical heat devices before leaving the house.
