Kent Fire Service are now urging people to ensure they keep reflective surfaces away from windows or direct sunlight. Finn Macdiarmid reports
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Summer has finally arrived but with it the people of Kent are being warned of
00:04the dangers of the Sun in full force. We've seen cornfields catch alight in
00:09Herston, barbecues cause fires in Folkestone and most recently a small
00:13house fire was caused just from the Sun shining on a mirror.
00:16Opened the door, just plume of smoke, so closed the door shut, went down, closed all the other doors,
00:23went out the back, didn't take anything, we'd literally just first of all get out the house,
00:28called the fire brigade and yeah in minutes they were here. I knew it was a
00:34danger, like when we were kids and we had like magnifying glasses and
00:38mirrors, you'd burn holes in leaves and stuff like that, so you know that the
00:43danger of it. The light reflected from a small makeup mirror on a desk hitting
00:48the curtains and causing them to catch. Totally irreparable, that's how I would
00:52describe the condition of the object behind me. The fire caused by just this
00:57small vanity mirror meant that the entire room had to be redecorated and
01:02anything damaged by the smoke or the fire had to be placed outside here to
01:06be thrown away, including a mattress, curtains and even a TV set. While the
01:12objects in the room were ruined, the rest of the house was relatively unscathed
01:15aside from some minor smoke damage thanks to the bedroom door being closed.
01:20The fire crew sent two engines to the scene and hose jets were used to
01:24extinguish the flames on the third floor. The crews also managed to rescue
01:28the family cat, Tigger. During the warmer months the soil gets drier, meaning grass
01:33and wildfires tend to start more frequently and Kent Fire and Rescue are
01:37urging people to keep especially safe during this summer heat. So we're asking
01:42for people to enjoy the summer period but to remain safe and be responsible
01:47with what they're doing. So I would ask people to help us with that, so if you're
01:50a smoker and you're discarding smoking materials, that we look to discard those
01:54suitably and not discard those onto the ground. If you're having a barbecue, we'd
01:59request that you look at where you site the barbecue, so to make sure that it's
02:03not going to spread to any fencing, shrubbery, property, anything like that.
02:08Whether it's keeping reflective surfaces away from windows, disposing of cigarettes
02:12and litter properly or something as simple as closing the door closest to
02:15your kitchen, there's many ways to stay safe in the heat.
02:18Finn McDermid for KMTV in Rochester.