News release text
Two people were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke after fire broke out in an airing cupboard in Leechcroft Avenue last night.
Fire crews from Swanley and Dartford were called to the house at 10.27pm (Tuesday), after the occupier discovered the fire after smelling smoke.
A man thought to be in his 40’s and a woman in her 30’s escaped from the property and phoned the fire service but both received oxygen therapy at the scene from firefighters before being taken to hospital by ambulance.
Dartford Crew Manager, Richard Cromarty, said: “The fire was caused by a pillow being placed too close to a light fitting in the airing cupboard, which overheated and caught light.
“This fire serves as a reminder of the importance of installing working smoke alarms in your home. If the fire had broken out while the residents were asleep it could have been a lot worse as there were no working smoke alarms in the property.”
Crews gave safety advice and fitted smoke alarms before leaving the property just after 11pm.
