A former firefighter’s dog alerted him to a blaze at a neighbour’s home in Swindon – which saw a disabled man trapped inside the burning building.
Seven-year-old cockapoo Bertie started barking when smoke was billowing from a bungalow in Drove Road at around 3am this morning (Wednesday).
Chris Howell, who was a retained firefighter at Swindon Fire Station for 11 years up until 2020, was awoken by his pet’s noises and looked out of the window.
“I woke up to the dog barking, quietish barking, and he was staring at the window as if something was wrong”, he told Wiltshire 999s.
“We looked outside and saw smoke coming from the roof of the bungalow opposite, and then I saw a flame breaking through the roof so I was straight on the phone to the emergency services to get the fire service there.”
The 52-year-old called 999 while he got dressed, and his wife ran over to see if she could help. Geared up to assist, Chris soon followed – but arrived at the same time as the first fire engine.
At that point, flames were emerging from the roof and the fire crew immediately entered the property after being told that there was a man – who has mobility issues – stuck inside.
Chris added: “The flames were coming from the roof and knowing it was a bungalow [the man] would have been on the ground floor, so had that fire engine not turned up so quickly I would have gone in to bring him out myself.”
Firefighters sporting breathing apparatus managed to find and rescue the man, swiftly bringing him to safety as they started to battle the raging blaze. He was left in the care of paramedics.
It’s safe to say the outcome could have been much worse had it not been for Bertie alerting Chris and his wife to the fire as it took hold.
At the height of the incident around 40 firefighters were in attendance alongside an aerial ladder platform. A main jet and two hose reel jets extinguished the fire.
In a statement, a Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “We were called at 3.08am this morning (13 November) to Drove Road, Swindon for a fire in the roof of a bungalow.
“At the height of the incident, we had crews in attendance from Swindon (x2), Stratton (x2), Westlea, Marlborough, Royal Wootton Bassett and Pewsey, together with the aerial ladder platform from Swindon and an incident command unit from Devizes.
“Six breathing apparatus wearers, two hose reel jets and a main jet have been used to tackle the fire.
“A male occupant of the property was brought to safety by firefighters and was handed into the care of the ambulance service.”
A full investigation was carried out, with an officer on scene until mid-afternoon. The probe revealed that the most likely cause was a fault with an electric bathroom fan.
