Family asleep during blaze as smoke detectors lack batteries

FOUR people were lucky to escape with their lives after becoming trapped in a flat above an Indian restaurant in Minehead when a blaze broke out in the early hours of Friday, November 23.
Although the premises in The Avenue were fitted with smoke detectors, they did not work because they did not have any batteries in them
Firemen who arrived on the scene shortly before 5 am were initially unable to wake the occupants of the flat.
However, they were eventually roused and firefighters using breathing apparatus led the four people to safety without any serious injuries.
An electrical fault was blamed for setting fire to a canopy at the front of the restaurant building, almost one-third of which was damaged by the heat. The canopy was almost completely destroyed.
Both fire engines from the Minehead station were mobilised, and because of the danger to the lives of the four people, a further fire engine was called from Porlock and a command support unit from Wiveliscombe.
The fire was contained to the restaurant frontage and was extinguished using two hose reel jets.