Ashford firefighters are warning residents about the risks of leaving bonfires unattended, following a callout to Ashford where a fire spread to a house.
Crews were called to reports of a fence alight in a garden Arcon Road. When they arrived they discovered that an unattended bonfire has spread to a garden gate, as well as the PVC window frames and guttering of a semi-detached bungalow.
Crews used a hose reel to contain the fire and prevent it spreading to the roof of the building, and drag rakes to expose hotspots in a heap of burning rubbish.
Ashford watch manager Mark Scott said: “Crews managed to bring this fire under control and minimise the damage to the house, but a few minutes more and we would have been facing a much larger incident.
“Our advice would be to find other, more environmentally friendly, ways of disposing of rubbish, such as taking it to your local recycling centre. If you do have a bonfire, make sure it is built well away from fences, buildings, trees and garden sheds, that it’s kept to a manageable size and that it’s not left unattended. An adult should supervise it until it has burnt out. If it has to be left, damp it down with water.”
There were no reported injuries.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service 20 March 2018
www.kent.fire-uk.org/news/incidents/?entryid2=15482