Community Safety departments from both South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) and South Yorkshire Police (SYP) have commended the actions of a 7 year old girl which helped prevent a fire spreading in her home.

Giorgia Hansel-Hides from Kiveton Park in Sheffield had been taught in school by SYFR about the importance of closing doors in the home to prevent the spread of fires.

Her careful actions following the visit meant that when a fire started in her home, caused by a candle left burning in the lounge, her bedroom was the only room not to suffer from significant smoke damage.

Giorgia was presented with a certificate from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and South Yorkshire Police’ community safety departments at a presentation at the Lifewise centre last Thursday night, ‘in recognition of excellent fire safety awareness, preventing the spread of fire in the home’.

Andrea Hansel-Hides, Giorgia’s Mum, said:

“We are very proud of Giorgia.  After the school visit by SYFR, she was full of enthusiasm for what she had learnt and put that into practice in the home.  I would certainly encourage parents to take precautionary messages on board because this sort of thing really can happen to anyone.  If Giorgia had not made sure her bedroom door was closed that day, the damage to our home could have been much worse. ”

Diane Malpass of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Community Safety department, said:

“Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire and there wasn’t any need to call the Fire service following the incident but Giorgia’s actions demonstrate how important it is to educate people in precautions that they can take in the home to prevent fires starting or spreading”.

Below are some simple steps you could take to prevent a fire starting and/or spreading in your home:

• Never leave candles unattended and make sure they are properly extinguished before you leave the room
• Close internal doors at night – this helps to stop the spread of smoke and fire, giving you longer to escape if you do have a fire in your home
• Fit a smoke alarm on every level of your home and test them weekly.