LUCKY ESCAPE
HOME COULD HAVE GONE UP IN FLAMES AFTER FIRE STARTED ON OUTDOOR DECKING
AMAN says that if it wasn’t for his vigilant neighbours who dialled 999 after spotting smoke coming from his property, his whole house could have gone up in flames.
Two fire crews tackled the fire in Gerlan, Bethesda, last Tuesday.
Emergency services were called at 3.51pm and two fire crews were sent from Bangor and Caernarfon. Flames started in the timber decking of the property, which was completely destroyed in the blaze. The fire spread to the framework of the nearby patio doors, which led directly into the kitchen.
Although there was smoke in the house there was no damage to the interior of the property.
Huw Jones, an electrician who owns the property, said he knew nothing about the blaze until a neighbour rang him on his mobile to tell him his house was on fire.
“My wife was out working, and I had been working on Anglesey and was on my way back from Bangor when I got the call from a neighbour of mine in Gerlan telling me about the fire,” said Mr Jones, 65.
“It took ten minutes to get home and it was a shocking sight, seeing the fire and the fire engines and the peo- ple watching. We are so lucky the neighbours spotted something was wrong.
“When they saw the smoke they thought it was odd that it was so close to the house and they could hear the crackling of the wood burning.”
He added: “The decking is all destroyed and it’s very odd because no-one seems to know how the fire started despite there being an investigation.
“It spread to the patio doors which leads into the kitchen. The fascia boards, window frames and the guttering is also damaged but it could have been so much more serious.”
Mr Jones added: “We could have lost everything, including Goronwy our cat who was in the house at the time.
“Luckily we are insured and I’d like to thank the fire crews and our neighbours for contacting them.”