A FAMILY of six escaped a devastating blaze on the anniversary of the last domestic fire fatality in the region.
Antony and Sheila Mawston, along with their four children and five dogs, managed to get out of their home in Norton Grove, off Askew Avenue, west Hull, in the early hours of Wednesday.
They believe they would have died if the smoke alarm had not woken them.
Their lucky escape comes on the day Humberside Fire and Rescue Service marked one year since any domestic fire deaths – the first time this has happened since 1976.
The fire service believes the statistic is down to better awareness about fire safety and Mr Mawston agrees.
He said: "Luckily, the smoke alarm went off and alerted everyone. I ran to the kitchen and saw the flames.
"I told everyone to get outside and managed to rescue the dogs from the kitchen.
"Without the fire alarms we wouldn't be here now.
"There has been a good campaign about the importance of fire alarms, and I think people are a lot more fire safety aware these days."
The fire started when the family's 16-year-old son Macauley, who has learning difficulties, made some toast at 3.15am.
The bread got jammed and the toaster caught fire, which quickly spread throughout the kitchen.
Macauley ran out and closed the door behind him.
Mr and Mrs Mawston, daughters Alicia, 24, and Charlotte, 12, and sons Callum, 19, and Macauley all managed to get out.
Mrs Mawston said: "We have always told the children about the importance of getting out and just leaving everything else behind."
The dogs – one Staffordshire bull terrier and four lhasa apsos – have now been put in kennels until the family can return home, which could be up to three months.
Daryl Oprey, head of safety at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, believes what happened at Norton Grove shows the importance of fire safety.
He said: "This was a textbook example of what you should do when there is a fire.
"The smoke detector was working, which proved to be a lifesaver. It could have been so much worse.
"But the lad did exactly the right thing in closing the door and the family acted in the right way to get everyone out and prevent the fire spreading further."
Mr Oprey is delighted the safety messages seem to be getting through, with no deaths for a year.
He said: "This is a commendable achievement and there are a number of factors that have contributed.
"The community safety work our staff have delivered has seen fire- related incidents reduce year on year.
"But we also need to acknowledge the role members of our communities have played in this reduction, with people being much more fire aware now.
"Almost all homes have smoke alarms fitted and people are much more aware of the fire hazards in the home."
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service has also developed safety initiatives with partner agencies to help reduce fire-related incidents in the community.
Mr Oprey said: "We formed a multi-agency partnership to fit sprinkler systems in the homes of those most vulnerable from fire."
