Personal injury solicitors Bury are reminding people and businesses to stay
safe and ensure their electrical equipment is safe, following an electrical
fire that devastated a kitchen showroom in Whitefield.
Fire fighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) were
called to the blaze on December 13th at around 10:30pm, and spent several hours
dealing with the fire on the Bury Old Road two-storey premises.
Crews from Broughton, Farnworth, Bury and Whitefield were called to the
incident and needed to use hose reels, jets and breathing equipment to control
the fire.
It is thought that the fire was likely to have been caused by an electric
heater in the showroom's office, and no win no fee solicitors Bury note that
portable heaters and other electrical items should be regularly maintained and
should not be left plugged in.
This is especially important over the festive period, as many commercial
properties will be left vacant for long periods of time, which could cause
electrics to become overloaded.
GMFRS Chairman Councillor David Acton pointed out that there is a limit to
the number of amps that adaptors and extension leads can handle, advising
people to use strip adaptors rather than plugs.
In the event of an electric fire, people should turn off the power at the
fuse box or pull out the plug, if doing so is safe. Water should never be used
on electrical fires.
Personal safety and the safety of the general public should be the key
considerations of people who encounter any kind of fire. Rather than taking any
unnecessary risks, people should leave the building, reach a safe spot, and
call 999.
The Whitefield kitchen showroom fire could have been considerably worse had
a passerby not noticed the fire and called the emergency services. Fortunately,
the owner of the kitchen showroom had also heard about the fire and was
available at the scene to unlock the doors to the building and make the job of
firefighters easier.
If you have been injured in a fire you were not to blame for, contact
personal injury solicitors Bury today!
