Fire sparks warning

Blaze destroys $ 500K home

A RESIDENT woke to smoke and flames in his home before the $ 500,000 house was destroyed.

Fire investigators said an adjoining unit escaped damaged when a Pottery Rd house at Garden Island Creek near Cygnet was gutted by fire on Monday night.

Tasmania Fire Service southern division acting station officer Tim Holland said investigations indicated the fire broke out when an outdoor gas cooktop being used indoors was left unattended.

“It’s going to go down as accidental,” he said.

“It appears as though the resident has used a gas oven inside to boil a kettle and I’m not sure if that hasn’t been turned off. It appears he’s then gone to bed and woken to find his house on fire.”

“He managed to get himself out of the house and called triple- 0. He was transported to hospital for treatment but escaped injury.”

TFS said crews from Cygnet, Deep Bay and Middleton attended the scene and extinguished the fire at the 1970s stone house. Damage is estimated at $ 500,000.

Fire investigators remained on the scene of the blaze across Tuesday morning assessing damage.

Mr Holland said the incident underlined the importance of avoiding the indoor use of outdoor cooking appliances.

“Barbecues and grills designed for outside use should never be used inside because they need adequate ventilation to allow toxic fumes to escape,” he said.

“Cooking that requires the use of solid fuel or gas should only be performed outside unless the appliance is specifically designed to be indoors.”

Mr Holland said the property was fitted with working smoke alarms.