"Preferably a photoelectric one, if the smoke alarm goes off, which is an early notification of a fire, get out."
This was the next key message, he said.
Mr Baker said the Maranui St fire had been really fast developing but in any situation the first thing to do is to get out of the house.
"Get out and stay out. Then call 111 at the earliest possible time, and whether it is on your cell phone while you are getting out of the house or by a neighbour's phone."
He also noted not to assume somebody else had notified authorities, as neighbours of the Maranui St fire didn't realise the next door property was alight until the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Mr Baker said while it was important to make sure you felt safe inside your home it was really important to know how to get out of it quickly.
Having dead locks that needed a key to gain access from the outside but a latch from the inside of the door was a good option, he said.
"So you can just flick it and get out quickly but if you have the ones that you need a key for both sides we recommend leaving the key on the inside of the lock at night times."
Checking your electric blankets before you use them each winter was important too, he said.
"If you have stored them over the winter and taken them off the bed, they need to be rolled up and carefully stored away.
"Effectively an electric blanket is toaster wire inside two bits of material which glows hot like a toaster, so if you fold the wires over and damage them you can short-circuit the blanket."
Mr Baker said he thought the safest way to store an electric blanket was just to leave it on a bed during the summer months.
The home, located at 44 Maranui St, would be open to the public from noon to 3pm today for anybody who wanted to have a look inside the burnt-out home.