Following an incident in Moville earlier this week Donegal’s Chief Fire Officer Joseph McTaggart is urging members of the public to be familiar with escape routes in the event of a fire.
The Moville Fire brigade were alerted to a fire at an apartment block in James Street, Moville at 11.37pm on Monday evening last (23rd May 2016). The Brigade was at the scene three and a half minutes later and on the arrival it was evident that the stairway serving the apartments, which was the only escape route, was involved in the fire and was heavily smoke logged. A number of the occupants were at the upper floor windows seeking assistance.
The building contained two apartments on the first floor and two apartments on the second floor. All of the apartments were occupied. Moville Brigade under Station Officer Frank McDermott and assisted by Carndonagh Fire Brigade reacted quickly to extinguish the fire, which was on the ground floor, and to remove the occupants to safety. Six of the occupants, including a family with three young children suffered from smoke inhalation and were taken by ambulance to hospital.
Chief Fire Officer Joseph McTaggart is urging the public to be aware of escape routes that would be used in the event of a fire.
Plan and practice your escape drill, ensure that all safety systems such as fire detection and alarm systems and emergency lighting meet and are serviced to the appropriates standards. Escape routes should always be available and usable and must not be used for storage or for any other purpose that would impede escape. Practicing an escape drill will facilitate your escape from a building and may save your life or the lives of members of your family.
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