Elderly resident hospitalised following electric blanket fire

Thu, 27 Oct 2011

An elderly resident needed hospital treatment following a fire at a house in Onchan.

It's believed the blaze was caused by an electric blanket in a first floor bedroom in the property on Ridgeway Road.

Fire crews rescued the occupant yesterday evening, and they were taken to hospital suffering with smoke inhalation.

The smoke alarm didn't go off because the batteries had been removed.

Fire officers remained in the area for two hours tackling the fire and damping down the building.

The fire was contained to the bedroom, but there was smoke damage throughout the house.

The fire service is reminding the public to test their smoke alarm weekly, and to have electric blankets tested every two years.