A Fire Officer is reminding residents of the importance of evacuating quickly and not attempting to try to extinguish fires themselves after a woman had to be rescued from a fire in her Felinheli home today.

Crews from Bangor, Caernarfon and Menai Bridge were called to the property at Bryn Ffynnon, Felinheli at 10.42hrs today.

Smoke alarms activated and the female occupant attempted to tackle the fire in a first floor bedroom.

The woman was rescued from the smokelogged property by firefighters wearing breathing appartatus. She was transferred to hospital for precautionary checks.

The fire, thought to have been caused by radiated heat from a lamp which had fallen onto bedding, caused severe fire damage to the bed and smoke damage to both the bedroom and the rest of the property.

Jane Honey said: “The best advice we can give to residents confronted with a fire in their home is to get out, stay out and call us out – do not try and tackle the fire yourself.

“I feel it’s important to highlight how the actions of residents upon discovering a fire can mean the difference between life and death – this woman was extremely lucky to have escaped without serious injury.

“The fire appears have been caused by radiated heat from a lamp falling onto bedding. Lamps, especially those that use halogen bulbs, can give off enough heat to ignite combustible objects. As general advice we advise that you follow best practice and that you are sure your lamps have fire-resistant lampshades and never put anything over a lamp, like clothes or a blanket are a safe distance from flammable objects. Also be sure that the light bulbs you use are the correct wattage for your lamp or lampshade; if the wattage is too high it can start a fire.”

“Our advice is to be as prepared as possible in the event of fire, by ensuring that working smoke alarms are fitted on every floor of your home to give you an early warning of fire and that you have clear escape routes to enable you and your family to exit your home as quickly as possible.”