Firefighters share pics of 'devastating' damage to home in urgent safety warning
Fire chiefs shared images of the destruction from a "devastating" house fire, as they urged members of the public not to attempt tackling blazes themselves.
The warning comes as incidents at two properties in Newcastle saw fires get worse when occupants tried to extinguish them with water.
The fire service said that using water to tackle some types of fires can cause an "explosive reaction" or lead to the fire spreading further.
They've called on residents to “avoid putting your lives in danger” by getting to safety and waiting for firefighters to arrive rather than attempting to put out house fires yourself.
Firefighters in Newcastle were called to the first fire at around 5.04pm on Thursday, January 5, ChronicleLive reports.
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Residents had attempted to put out a fire from a pan of cooking oil by pouring water on the hot pan, but that only made the flames spread quicker.
The kitchen fire caused serious damage in a matter of minutes (Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service)It took just four minutes for firefighters to arrive at the property, but images of the aftermath showed that the kitchen had been severely damaged by the blaze.
At 8.11pm, the fire crew was then called to an electrical fire after a suspected burst water pipe had caused the fuse box to ignite.
Occupants had attempted to extinguish this fire using water too, which then spread to the cavity between the floor joists.
Luckily, firefighters — who were on the scene in a matter of minutes — were able to use cutting gear to access the cavity and tackle the fire.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFS) confirmed no one was injured in the fires but said that they could have "ended in tragedy".
Service delivery group manager, Steve Burdis, has called on residents to get to safety and call emergency services in response to a fire.
He said: “In both incidents, we were on the scene in a matter of minutes to immediately begin tackling the fire and preventing it from spreading any further. The quick work of our fire control, and then the decisive actions of those crews who responded, stopped any further damage from taking place at either address.
“We don’t necessarily expect the public to understand how to tackle different kinds of fires, or how different types of fire will react to water. That is why we would never endorse anyone tackling a fire themselves and would always encourage you to get to safety and call 999."
Fires need to be tackled differently depending on the type of blaze at hand and if done wrong the result can be "disastrous", Mr Burdis warns.
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He added: “Throwing water on a fire caused by oil igniting can be disastrous, this causes an explosive reaction that can be those in the vicinity at immediate risk of harm.
"Similarly, when dealing with electric fires, never use water to try and extinguish it. This can again cause a fire to spread even further.
“Our thoughts are with the families involved in both these incidents as we know just how devastating it can be to fall victim to a fire.
“This could have happened to anybody and, above anything, we are relieved nobody was injured.
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