A bit shocked by what has happened tonight

[WibbleyPie]

I live in a flat on the first floor, there's a couple who lives in the flat below. No one above me. Large converted house. Separate entrances.

Was woken around midnight by my dog being unsettled and woofing, not full on barking, and as I started to wake up I could hear downstairs smoke alarm going off.
I went down and their door was open, smell of smoke and smoke visible coming out of the door, not billowing but enough to know there's a small fire and make me cough a bit. Neighbours are quite vulnerable and one bed bound.

Wasn't sure where the fire was or what it was, main aim was to help get neighbours out. Mobile neighbour not in best of health themselves and couldn't get bed bound neighbour off the bed. Was on phone to 999 at the same time, as neighbour hadn't called them. Went to help bed bound neighbour into wheelchair and realised it was the bed that was smouldering next to them, big hole burned through mattress and could see embers/smouldering, obviously a fair amount of smoke.
Other neighbour had poured water on it evidently and put it out to some degree. We got her out and into the wheelchair and as far as we could away from the fire, couldn't get outside because of steps and wheelchair. But we were by the door and I had a plan to use the bedding again to drag neighbour out of the building if I needed to.

I used to work in social care, and thank God for the fire training I've had because it kicked in tonight and I did what I'd been trained to do, back of the hand door test, used the duvet to move the neighbour off the bed and would have used it again to get them out if necessary. Closed doors behind us etc.

Fire service were very quick responding, considering they're retained and not at the station. They were fantastic, got wheelchair neighbour straight out, put bed out properly and removed everything. I'm so grateful to them, amazing people. Comforted us.

Bed bound neighbour gone to hospital, unhurt but I think have inhaled a fair amount of smoke.

I'm a bit shocked by it all, it was frightening enough for me, and I can move, my neighbour must have been terrified - but - they'd been left with cigarettes and lighter and been smoking in bed.

I think I'm in a bit of shock tbh. Live alone and feel really unsettled and not sure what to do with myself now. Hopefully that'll wear off.

Not sure really why I'm posting. Maybe I just needed to share what's happened tonight. It was a minor fire that was thankfully put out before it got going but it could have been so different, it was seconds away from going up completely I think, judging by the damage to the mattress.

Anyway, big shout out to our fabulous fire service!

Oh course the bin raider is the Jack Russell!

Well done @WibbleyPie you were so brave 👏👏👏

I would put in a report to Adult Safeguarding at the council and report this to the landlord, because this is a dangerous situation for you to have to live in. Your own flat could have gone up in flames.

Thank goodness you were there and that you’d had some training in fire safety. Well done!
In London, about a third of people who die in fires are vulnerable and in receipt of care.
there is an excellent video on London Fire Brigade’s website which gives information to carers around fire prevention.

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/carers-and-support-workers/a-carers-guide-to-home-fire-safety/

Could've guessed 😂

Thanks everyone, rather unbelievably today on my way to work a young dear ran out of some woods and straight into the passenger side door of my car 😳😕 I didn't have time to brake or swerve, luckily only doing about 30 and the deer was stunned (as was I!) and by the time I'd pulled over somewhere safe it was on its feet, a bit dazed and then ran off back into the woods when I approached.
Luckily no damage to the car either just a scuff that rubbed off no dents or scratches so I'm just hoping it's not badly injured and the adrenaline masked it.
There's wild deer around here but I've never seen one, even late at night where it was, it's quite a busy road. Someone else stopped as well and he said there was literally nothing I could have done, but I feel bloody awful.
I'll be glad when this weekend is over!

Well done!
You did brilliantly!

I don't mean to be Mrs Gloom but things come in 3s. 😬
Hopefully the 3rd will be less eventful!

This is why I don't like living in flats, or with anyone under me. Get a house on the ground floor I suggest

Not sure if it’s already been suggested or if it’s feasible, but I’d strongly recommend looking at the possibility of getting interlinked alarms with their system (e.g. if one of their detectors goes off, it sounds an alarm in your flat as well as theirs) in the circumstances.

well done!!

I work for the emergency services. So many elderly people die from smoking in bed, or filling up lighters!

Gosh, how upsetting! No wonder you’re unsettled. Shout out to your dog, without whom it may have been too late for your neighbour.

Yes that's on my mind too 😬 I think I'll just stay in bed tomorrow (unless the smoke alarms go off again 😳)

@Whatinthedoopla I am a housing association tenant, so moving isn't so easy unfortunately, I'd have to look for a swap or be on the waiting list for another place and no guarantee it'd come up. Plus it would just push the problem on to the next tenant and not solve anything. Just be someone else at risk instead of me.

@Randomname83738 I'm calling my HA tomorrow about it, so I'll be asking about that, but oddly downstairs is a different ha to me so I'm not sure how it'd work, but worth asking the question.

Why did you need to do a back of hand door test if the door was open? Or was it a different door?

I explained in one of the updates that the bedroom door where they were (and where the fire turned out to be) was closed, I used back of the hand there, front door was open with smoke visible/could smell it coming out. I think the draught/wind from the front door being open had shut the bedroom door.

Only read edited highlights, but recommended/required for any short term let's and HMOs are interlinked smoke alarms, I would say, though not legally, they'd be useful for your two properties, though ad you say different LL, but they are not massively expensive so maybe consider purchasing for yourself

Apparently you are 4 times more likely to die in a house fire if its rented rather than owner occupied, and this rises to 10times more likely in short term rentals. Eek

@WibbleyPie
I know the 3 thing is a load of nonsense and I do think it makes you 'look' for the 3rd event even if its not something you'd normally think about.

I wonder why the difference between rented/owned? There's got to be certain things like smoke alarms and gas safety checks etc so you'd think it'd be safer than owned homes where those things aren't mandatory. I'm a bit surprised at that.
I will be asking about it tomorrow and see what they say and if anything can be done with that, even if that's doing it myself. It would certainly be safer if both flats were alerted when there's a fire in one of them.

Well done OP so proud of you. It’s a really heart warming story and I loved seeing photos of your dogs and the cheeky bin raider one. It was a very scary thing to happen and you did an amazing job. Be kind to yourself it’s been a tough weekend. Tell all your friends and work colleagues talking about it will make you process it better.
off ti Google back of hand for fire training. Thank you for helping us all who knows when we might need these tips. The duvet one too

You are an absolute hero and the bravery and courage you showed undoubtedly saved their lives and the lives of others too. Well done 👏

Oh deer it isn't your week end op!!

When doing fire training in care homes we were taught to hold our hand to the back of the door to feel for heat and then get closer and then lightly touch the door, then the handle as the metal will be hotter than wood if there's a fire in the room, if you use your palm and it's hot your hand automatically closes and if you burn your palm and fingers it makes it harder to use them, than if you burn the back of your hand, and if the door/handle is hot you don't open the door because it can cause the fire to burst through the door at you.

We were also taught to use the mattress or sheets to move someone quickly on your own, dragging them along the floor if needed, without pulling on limbs etc, the mattress and sheet were out of the question obviously so I used a duvet (not from that bed) and the sliding under techniques for moving and handling to get in position should it be needed, and helped keep them warm too when at the door and then when they took them outside.

They're quite simple things really that are common sense when you think about them, but I doubt they would have occurred to me had I not had that repeated training over the years I worked in care.

You're telling me! My life is normally quiet, drama free and humdrum.
Hopefully this weekend will mean I can go back to that now!

Perhaps your third exciting event will be a huge lottery win! Fingers crossed for you

We had a significant house fire many years ago. We were in a hotel for a month. It shook me up more than Dh and I felt I needed to talk as much as possible about it. I found it helpful to talk to other people about getting their smoke alarms checked and ensuring they have proper fire safety strategies in place- like working out best exit routes etc. That helped me no end. It was strangely cathartic to be able to do that. Like being able to make something good out of the bad. I think that was what I needed at the time.