Fire Alarm Saves Family After Pub Fire

[james.wilson]

A pub in West Yorkshire was gutted by a fire on one of the first days of 2011, with the owners escaping thanks to a fire detection and alarm system.

Alan Butcher, his partner and her son were asleep upstairs in the Hare and Hounds, a pub based in the market town of Rothwell, when the alarm sounded, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The family found that their pre-planned escape route was blocked by thick smoke and so called the local fire and emergency service, who told them to wait in a bedroom with the door shut and a window open.

Fire crews from Rothwell, Hunslet and Leeds rescued the family, who did not require any medical treatment.

Andy Rose, watch commander at Rothwell Fire Station, told the news provider that the fire started when a carpet was lit by an ember from an open fire.

"The pub has an open fire, that was the cause. They called the fire service and were kept on the line by fire service control who offered fire survival guidance," he said.

Mr Butcher said the pub had undergone a fire safety inspection in July 2010.

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