| Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue told news providers about the smoke alarm which was without batteries |
Two residents in the first-floor property where the fire started were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation.
A fire in an Oxfordshire block of flats was discovered by sheer "good fortune" after it was revealed that batteries had been removed from the fire alarm. The fire at the building in Didcot, Oxford, was reported on Monday (December 13th) morning, reports BBC News.
Two residents in the first-floor property where the fire started were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation. Steve Wright, incident commander for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, told the news provider: "There was a smoke alarm in the flat but the battery had been removed."
The fire service warned local residents not to remove batteries from smoke alarms ever, especially at this time of year, they say: "Never remove the batteries to power presents." Last week, a fire in a block of flats in Beaconsfield also had no fire alarms in the affected rooms.
Currently, residential houses in multiple occupation (HMO) owned by a landlord do not have to comply with the same fire regulations as a business property. However, member of parliament Adrian Sanders is attempting to introduce the Fire Safety (Protection of Tenants) Bill, which would require all rented properties to have a working smoke detection system at the beginning of any tenancy agreement.