A 22-year-old male was lucky to escape a house fire in Nhulunbuy on Tuesday without injury.

It was reported that the 22-year-old home owner smelt smoke at around 10:00 pm and ran into the lounge room.

Senior Sergeant Brendan Muldoon, Officer in Charge of Nhulunbuy Police Station said that upon entering the room, the male noticed a bright orange glow along the ceiling.

“He called out to a 23-year-old male neighbour who ran to his aid and called triple zero” said S/Sergeant Muldoon.

“The men broke a hole through the roof and used a garden hose to extinguish the fire.

“Police, Fire and Rescue and St John Ambulance members attended. Both men were treated at the scene as a precaution.

“Given that the house had no fire alarms, if the man had gone to bed before the fire started, this incident could have easily ended in tragedy.

“I again urge all home owners to install fire alarms. They’re cheap, easy to maintain, can and frequently do save lives.”

 Fire and Emergency Regulations now require the installation of photoelectric smoke alarms in all Territory homes as of 01 November 2011.

The photoelectric alarms are strongly favoured by fire services everywhere, as they are able to detect smouldering fires that are not as quickly picked up by the ionization type of alarms.

Approved smoke alarms are available from all major retail outlets and hardware stores and further information about the alarms and the new regulations is available at www.fire.nt.gov.au

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Amy Sloan
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