Couple's lucky break from disaster

Man treated for smoke inhalation after fighting electrical fire

A SOUTH Grafton couple are lucky they caught an electrical fire before it spread from the kitchen to the rest of their house, according to Grafton Fire Brigade station officer Col Drayton.

Mr Drayton said one of the residents had been able to turn a garden hose on the fire, which contained the blaze to an area behind the fridge.

"They are very lucky," he said. "If it had been night time or they'd been out, it could have been a lot worse.

"They did the right thing and were able to play a hose on the fire through a kitchen window, which kept it behind the fridge, but it had spread up to the ceiling."

He said the man complained of smoke inhalation and was placed on a respirator as he waited for an ambulance.

"It appears the smoke inhalation was minor and he was needed to go to hospital," MrDrayton said.

Fire brigade officers donned breathing apparatus before they entered the building because of the possibility of inhaling toxic fumes.

They quickly extinguished the fire and located its source in the electric motor of the refrigerator in the kitchen.

Originally published as Couple's lucky break from disaster