Firefighters warn of cooking and drinking dangers after Bognor incident

A statement was issued after two crews were called to Clarence Road on Saturday, June 25, and found a woman asleep on the sofa having left a pan on the hob.

Watch Manager Russell Moore said “The lady inside the flat was lucky that a neighbour had heard the smoke alarm and dialled 999. We cannot stress enough the importance of having a working smoke alarm, as the outcome of this incident could have been much worse.”

The call came in at 7:13pm, on arrival crews found the smoke detector was sounding and were informed that there was a good chance that someone was still inside the flat.

Unable to raise the person, they had to force entry into the smoke logged flat using a sledge hammer.

The statement revealed: “It was then that they found a lady, who had been drinking, asleep on the sofa in the lounge. She did not hear the smoke alarm sounding in the flat. Luckily for the lady, a neighbour had heard the sounding detector and raised the alarm. After the incident she was then left in the care of both the police and the ambulance service.

Mr Moore added: Cooking and alcohol do not mix so we suggest that people should think twice about getting the pan out if they have been drinking. Don’t take the risk of putting the hob on; just make something that doesn’t need to be cooked instead.

“We also urge people to act if they hear a smoke alarm going off for any length of time in a neighbouring property. Don’t ignore it, call 999, you may just save a life.”