Posted: Friday 16 December 2022, 14:21
A woman in her 80’s has died in a house fire in Inkersall, Derbyshire.
At 21.06 hours on Thursday 15 December 2022, Firefighters from Staveley and Bolsover responded to a fire at a semi-detached property on Steele Avenue, Inkersall.
On entering the house fire crews discovered the fire in the first-floor bedroom was out. Sadly, the body of an 82-year-old woman was found at the property.
A joint police and fire investigation has determined that the fire was accidental, with the most likely cause being the careless disposal of cigarettes.
The thoughts and sympathy of everyone at Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service are with the family and friends of the deceased at this distressing time.
Firefighters and Community Safety Officers will be in the Inkersall area on Monday 19 December to provide fire safety advice and reassurance to members of the community. They will be on Steele Avenue, Jervis Place, McMahon Avenue, Dobson Place, Bradshaw Road and Madin Drive.
Smoking Safety advice
Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service would like to remind people of the following:
- Ensure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home.
- Test your smoke alarms weekly.
- Never smoke in bed.
- Use a proper ashtray - never a wastepaper basket.
- Make sure your ashtray can't tip over and is made of a material that won't burn.
- Don't leave a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe lying around. They can easily fall over and start a fire.
- Take extra care if you smoke when you're tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you've been drinking. You might fall asleep and set your sofa or bed on fire.
- Keep matches and lighters out of children's reach.
- Consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes.
- Have a planned and practiced escape plan that everyone in the home is aware of.