Neighbours rescued from sheltered housing blaze
Published 2 Feb 2012 11:47
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FIREFIGHTERS staged a dramatic rescue this morning as flames ripped through a sheltered housing block.
Crews from Wokingham Road, Caversham Road and Dee Road stations were called to the ground floor flat fire at George Palmer Court in Brock Gardens, west Reading, at around 6am.
The firefighters, who believe the blaze was sparked by an electrical fault, rescued two people who were trapped on the top floor of the two-storey building, with residents on the ground floor having already made it out safely. Some were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene but there were no serious injuries.
Rita Brown, 66, who lives in the flat opposite to where the fire started, said: "I was asleep and woke up to someone banging on my door and saying, 'get out, fire'. I was in my pyjamas and went out into the passage way, there were flames right up to the door.
"I got outside and thought there may be people upstairs. I tried to go back in but the fire had taken hold and the passage was filled with smoke. I knocked on the window and told my neighbour to get out. She was able to come out of the garden door."
Staff from Housing21, which runs the scheme for over 55s, were at the flats this morning to organise temporary accommodation for residents and assess the damage. Firefighters spent around an hour tackling the fire, which caused damage to the flat and hallway.
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