Occupants of Fentonbury home flee unharmed after pet dogs alert them to fire

Fire authorities say the occupants of a Derwent Valley home are lucky to be alive after a blaze tore through the property, prompting renewed warnings about fire safety.

• Woman wakes to her house on fire
• Fire destroys house and car

PET dogs alerted the occupants of a Derwent Valley home to an accidental fire that engulfed the property, allowing them to flee before the building was destroyed.

It comes as authorities renew pleas for people to be fire safe during the winter months following a recent spate of house blazes.

Fire investigators said the home on McCallums Rd, Fentonbury, did not have smoke alarms installed, with the barking dogs waking up the occupants, with them and the pets escaping unharmed.

The fire was reported about 10pm on Sunday, with Tasmania Fire Service crews from Westerway, Ellendale, Bushy Park and Gretna arriving to find the three-bedroom house fully engulfed.

To see a family talking about memories and also sifting through burnt timbers and metal to look for photos and possessions they can’t replace, that’s probably the really hard part about our job and something that we experience all the time – fire investigator Adam Doran

The blaze was brought under control within an hour but the house was destroyed, with the damage bill estimated at $300,000.

Tasmania Fire Service regional fire investigator Adam Doran said the fire was caused by a recliner chair that caught alight after being left too close to a wood heater.

Lead fire fighter Pete Reason and fire fighter Clinton Leaman from Tasmania Fire Service at the Hobart headquarters. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Mr Doran said the occupants were lucky to be alive and said it was another example of a near miss.

“It could have been a very different result,” he said.

“They were on scene the entire time we were doing investigations ... it’s a sad experience for everyone, looking at what used to be their home.

“To see a family talking about memories and also sifting through burnt timbers and metal to look for photos and possessions they can’t replace, that’s probably the really hard part about our job really and something that we experience all the time.”

Mr Doran said the fire was the latest in a string of accidental property blazes.

“We’re roughly about halfway through winter and we have seen a bit of a spike in house fires,” he said.

“Our best chance is through education ... to prepare people and give them the tools to look after themselves.”

Mr Doran said most fires were avoidable, and that most recent incidents resulted from situations where clothes were left too close to wood heaters, cooking left unattended, congested chimneys and flues, and uncleaned lint filters in clothes dryers.

He said home occupants should have working smoke alarms in every sleeping room.

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