Three over 60s die in NI house fires in eight day window
It has prompted NIFRS to call for increased safety awareness.
A 61-year-old woman has become the third over 60 to die in an accidental house fire in Northern Ireland in little over a week.
The cause of the fatal Lisburn fire at Meadow Crescent is believed to be accidental.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service says this means that in the last eight days across Northern Ireland, three people, all aged over 60, "have tragically lost their lives in accidental fires in the home."
On 28 April 2021 a 74 year old man died in hospital following a fire at his home in Newtownbutler.
On 30 April a 78 year old man died following a fire at his home in Newry.
Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Paddy Gallagher extended his sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased.
He is now urging families to "check in" more with older relations and "consider their fire safety".
“With COVID restrictions still in place preventing household visits it’s more important than ever that we check in with our older family and friends and consider their fire safety. This can be done safely via telephone, virtually or by calling outside their home or garden at a safe distance. Talk to them about their fire safety and remind them of the importance of testing their smoke alarm once a week, having a bed time fire safety routine, a fire escape plan and what they should do in an emergency.
“If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact us by calling our HQ on 02892 664221 or visiting our website www.nifrs.org .
"Our Firefighters will provide you with detailed advice and in some circumstances can visit the home of someone, using personal protective equipment, to carry out a free home fire safety check and fit a smoke alarm.
“We need your help to help us protect the most at risk in our community from fire."
S-T-O-P
He continued: "We must do everything we can to help STOP Fire. Remembering this simple slogan can help make us all safer - S is for Smoke Alarm, make sure you have at least 1 working smoke alarm on every floor of your home.
-T is for test those smoke alarms weekly.
-O is for obvious dangers, be aware of the common causes of accidental fires including smoking materials, electronics and cooking.
-P is for plan your escape - make sure you have an escape plan in the case of a fire starting."