A family from Brough with St Giles had a lucky escape thanks to the quick thinking of an 11-year-old girl.
The girl was alerted to the sound of the smoke alarm at approximately 6am on the 25th May of this year.
She woke up to find her bedroom filled with smoke and quickly woke up her mum and nine-year-old brother and ensured they got out of the house together.
Once outside the house mum rang 999 to alert the emergency services.
The small fire caused damage to the carpet, bed and mattress where the young girl had been sleeping and to toys and clothes. The cause of the fire was an unplugged laptop underneath the bed.
The family, who have asked not to be named, have two smoke alarms installed within their home, one on the landing and one in the hall.
They had discussed a fire escape plan following the girl`s attendance at a Crucial Crew event at RAF Leeming.
Paul Stephenson, who is a Youth Officer for North Yorkshire Police runs and coordinates Crucial Crew which is a children’s safety and behaviour event across North Yorkshire for those in Year 6, said: “All 11 year olds attend Crucial Crew to gain key life skills around keeping safe and what to do in an emergency.
“North Yorkshire Police work closely with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service who also deliver a workshop at the Crucial Crew events.”
He continued: “It was so good to see that a student gained and retained this valuable knowledge and subsequently saved herself and her family from a serious fire. Key life skills gained at the event are not always used straight away, but this is a fantastic example of how the event works.”
Adele Kendall from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service added: “The fast actions of this young girl in knowing what to do at home in the case of a fire undoubtedly led to the safe escape for the family. This highlights the importance of having working smoke alarms and talking about a fire escape plan for every home. Very well done to the girl.”
