A RESIDENT thanked firefighters for their efforts after an early hours blaze flared up in their garage.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it is believed an electrical fault in a freezer caused the fire.

Firefighters were called to a property in North Street, Charminster, at 1.20am today (Thursday), to reports of a fire in a garage.

Crews from Dorchester and Weymouth attended, and 15 firefighters using breathing equipment tackled the blaze for about an hour using one main jet and one hose.

The fire destroyed the inside of the garage and there was some smoke damage to a car. 

The householder, who did not wish to be named, said: “We were in bed when it happened. We were alerted to the fire by the smoke alarms.

“I didn’t panic, I called the fire brigade straight away and they came quite quickly.”

Although there was a lot of damage to the inside of the garage, the resident says he is grateful it did not spread to, or happen in, the house.

He commended the fire service for their help.

“They arrived quickly and brought it under control in a very timely manner,” he said.

“They sorted it in about an hour. Though, it did not do the car any good.”

The resident says that since the fire happened, a fire safety chief has already returned to the house to install a new fire alarm and check that all the alarms in the house are in working order.

“They deserve a pat on the back for their help,” he said.

Faulty electrics – appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets – cause around 6,000 fires in home across the country every year.

Statistics show you’re four times more likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works – and 21 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing at the time of the fire.

According to Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, batteries in smoke alarms should be tested every week and they should be changed every year. You should never remove them.

For more information, visit https://www.dwfire.org.uk/