Fire Officers are warning of the importance of smoke alarms following a fire in a property in Colwyn Bay in the early hours of Tuesday 10^th December.

Crews from Colwyn Bay, Abergele and Rhyl were called to the property on Woodland Road East at 1.34am and used two hose reel jets and four sets of breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

Smoke alarms were installed in the property but the battery had been removed from one of them. Luckily the occupier smelt the fire and got everyone up. Thankfully, the five residents, managed to make their own way out of their home unharmed but the fire caused damage to the loft space and water damage to the rest of the property.

It appears that the cause of the fire was faulty wiring in the property.

John Morgan, Response Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "You are twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you do not have a working smoke alarm. When a fire starts, you only have a few minutes to escape. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999.

"Having a practised escape plan in the event of fire will help improve your chances of survival should the worst happen. Also, try and get into a nightime routine  - switch off all electrical items and shut all doors to minimise the spread of smoke in your home and protect your route out of the building should a fire occur.

"For more advice on fire safety and for the opportunity to have free smoke alarms fitted in your home, please contact North Wales Fire and Rescue Service for a free home fire safety check. To register, please call our free 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk."