Property fire

3 fire appliances from Taunton and Bridgwater were initially mobilised following a call from the occupant of a privately rented terraced property, reporting a fire in an upstairs bedroom. At the time of call there were 4 occupants inside (2 adults and 2 children), 3 of which were able to self rescue prior to our arrival and 1 that was unable to safely evacuate. Fire Control stayed on the phone giving fire survival guidance to keep them in a place of safety until our first crew from Taunton arrived on scene, whereby they were  rescued from a first floor bedroom window by a firefighter guiding the adult female down a ladder to a place of safety. 

In the meantime, 4 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property on the ground floor and confirmed the fire was in fact on the ground floor and set to work bringing it under control using 1 hose reel and 2 main jets. At 13:43hrs an assistance message was received requesting a further 2 fire appliances from Wellington, and support appliances and officers. Once the fire, which started accidentally after a candle was left unattended, was extinguished crews used 3 thermal imaging cameras to check for hotspots, together with a positive ventilation fan to clear the property of smoke. The fire was well established at the time of our arrival, resulting in the ground floor being severely damaged by fire, with the first floor suffering from heavy smoke damage. All 4 occupants suffered from smoke inhalation and were left in the care of Ambulance paramedics. The fire was brought under control at 15:26hrs and all fire appliances have now come away from the scene.