Fire in East Preston

Firefighters were called to a house at Willowhayne Avenue iat 3.30am this morning after the unattended candles caught light to a wall-mounted television and wooden cladding on the walls of the living room.

The householders were able to put out the fire using a bucket of water and were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene and taken to hospital.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service Arun District Commander Dave Benham said: “Nowadays candles and tea lights are often used to create a relaxing or atmospheric mood in people’s homes, but if you leave them unattended, even for just a short time, they can become a very dangerous fire hazard.

“The family had all gone to bed forgetting to extinguish the candles.

“Thankfully, on this occasion, they were all able to escape the house safely, but we know from experience, the consequences of leaving candles burning unattended can be devastating. Our advice in the event of a fire is to close the door, get out of the property and call the fire and rescue service.”