Smoke alarm and alert neighbour save house

A WANGANUI East woman received a nasty scare yesterday morning when she arrived home to find the fire brigade extinguishing a blaze that could have destroyed her home.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, had left a small candle on top of a plastic-wrapped gas barbecue when she ducked out for 20 minutes.
The candle melted, and set alight the carpet underneath the gas cooker and nearby clothes.
"It takes the smallest things; it was only a tiny piece of candle," she said.
Luckily, an alert neighbour was outside and heard the piercing fire alarm and went to investigate.
The neighbour saw flames in the front room of the house and quickly checked the house for occupants before ringing 111. "Smoke alarms are really good. I think I'll be buying a few more," the neighbour said.
This sentiment was also shared by the woman.
"It's a real wake-up call. I didn't even know the fire alarm worked. I'm just really grateful to my neighbour for being so on to it."
The burnt square of carpet was cut out by the fire brigade and smouldering floorboards were watched to ensure they did not catch alight.
Wanganui Fire Brigade Senior Station Officer Bryce Coneybeer said the near-miss was the perfect example of how a domestic smoke alarm could save a home from being ravaged by fire.
"A vigilant neighbour heard it beeping. It would have gone off like a packet of crackers and burnt down for sure," Mr Coneybeer said.
The fire was contained to just one room which sustained mainly smoke damage.
Another Wanganui family had a lucky escape yesterday when their clothes dryer caught fire in the laundry of a Kawatiri Ave, Gonville, house about 1am.
The fire didn't spread to other parts of the house. Mr Coneybeer said the fires served as a reminder that smoke alarms saved people and property.