FIRE CREWS from three separate Isle of Wight fire stations, who battled to stop the spread of a roof fire in sub zero temperatures, have been praised by the owners.
Three appliances from Ventnor, Shanklin and Newport rushed to the former country home of Lord Pelham ‘The Rocklands Estate’ on Undercliff Drive in St Lawrence near Ventnor in the early hours of this morning (Monday December 6) after the family raised the alarm just after 1am.
Firefighters from Shanklin gave shelter to the couples two young children, Jake and Jessica, by turning their appliance into a refuge to keep the couples children warm.
Owners of the bungalow part of the Rocklands Manor estate have been recalling the horrifying moment the family home was plunged into darkness and the house started to fill with smoke.
Popular Island Chiropodist Jason Mansel and his wife Jayne spoke exclusively to The Gazette as firefighters battled to save the family’s home from further fire damage.
“We were both in bed when all of the power tripped out and the house was in total darkness for a while, until the emergency lighting kicked in” recalls Jason.
“I got up out of bed to see why the power had gone off and I could smell burning.
“I went back to the bedroom and woke up my wife Jayne. She then went and got the children up from their beds.
“We have smoke alarms fitted in the house and my wife tests them every week.”
“I would have thought it would have gone off.” added Jayne.
“One of the fireman explained to me because the smoke and fire was in the roof space the sensor may not have picked it up.
“I opened the loft and the roof space was filled with choking smoke that was when I called the fire service.
“We took the children and pet dogs Daisy and Poppy from the property and waited for the fire service to arrive.
“It was a very scary experience for the children, but we’re just thankful that we are all safe, that is what is most important.
“The firefighters have done a brilliant job in stopping the fire from spreading. I don’t know how bad the damage inside the roof is.”
IW Fire Watch Manager Adrian Spencer from Ventnor fire station praised his crews for the fast interception and the way they managed to stop the spread of the fire. He said “Four teams of two wearing breathing apparatus entered the roof space and tackled the fire using a two high pressure hose reels and a jet.
“Crews have also spent some time cutting away in the roof area to check for hot spots using a thermal imaging camera.”
IW Fire Station Manager Mark Deacon based at Newport said “It is believed the fire may have started after a heater in the roof area was covered over by lagging. The owners of the property had some works carried out in the loft area a few days ago.”
Mr Deacon went on to say the family were very lucky to have escaped unharmed. It is always a good idea to have an escape plan in place in case a fire breaks out in your property. The IW Fire service offer free advice when carrying out a home fire check. They can also fit new 10 year smoke alarms for free, he added.
