Hero father rescues daughter from burning bedroom

A Cranbourne father has recounted the terrifying moment he rescued his two-year-old daughter from a fire sparked by an appliance in her bedroom.

Cranbourne father, Michael who saved his daughter when a fire broke out in their family home last year Picture: Supplied

A heroic father has spoken of the moment he rescued his daughter from her burning bedroom after hearing her harrowing screams for “help” in the middle of the night.

Cranbourne dad Michael Vamplew was woken by his two-year-old daughter’s chilling cry for help after her night light or power board caught fire last August.

Mr Vamplew said he and his wife, Ashlea, thought his daughter, Harlow, was having a nightmare until she called for help as her bedroom filled with smoke.

“We heard her scream and say ‘help’... as I got around the corner to see her door, I saw smoke rolling out the bottom of the door, seeping up to the roof,” he said.

“I just grabbed her, looked up and of a 3m room, it would have been 2.5m engulfed, floor to ceiling, in flames.

“I just prayed that my daughter was safe and OK... there was no way I was leaving without her.”

Mr Vamplew suspects the blaze either started from a faulty night light or power board in Harlow’s room.

The two-year-old suffered two third-degree burns on each of her feet.

Cranbourne father, Michael who saved his daughter when a fire broke out in their family home last year. Picture: Supplied

Photos from inside the Cranbourne home show the girl’s bedroom almost completely incinerated from the August inferno.

Her plush toys and mattress were completely charred and razed.

The brave father is urging all Victorians to install smoke alarms in each bedroom of their homes, a campaign backed by both the CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria.

He said the current recommendations were flawed and further lives were at stake.

“I’ve never once thought they were required in bedrooms... I’ve never realised how outdated and useless they are if a door is closed,” he added.

“Definitely have smoke alarms in each bedroom, get them interlinked so if one goes off, they all go off.

“Get them in. What the standards say isn’t acceptable. You might not be as lucky as us.”

Authorities are also urging residents and homeowners to install smoke alarms in each bedroom ahead of the colder months.

Photos show the girl’s bedroom completely incinerated. Picture: Supplied

The message is particularly heightened after a pair of fatal house fires at Frankston and Langwarrin earlier this month.

Fire Rescue Victoria Deputy Commissioner of Community Safety Joshua Fischer said: “What happened to the Vamplew family clearly demonstrates why it is so vital to have smoke alarms fitted in every bedroom of your home.”

CFA Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook hoped Sunday’s Smoke Alarm Action Day would prompt Victorians to install smoke alarms in more parts of the home.

“We know fire risk is greatest when you are asleep, because we can lose our sense of smell,” he said.

“Without a working smoke alarm in your bedroom, your family may not wake up in time to safely escape.”

Originally published as Hero father rescues daughter from burning bedroom