FIRE fighters were delayed getting to a house fire last week due to inconsiderate parking.

Vehicles from Kingsbridge, Dartmouth and Plymstock fire stations were called to Wallingford Road in Kingsbridge on Friday, February 19, at 5.15pm, after a call reporting a fire in a house.

Their arrival on scene was delayed due to the ‘poor parking of local residents’. When they managed to get through to the property, the house was ‘issuing smoke’ and the fire was dealt with using a hose and two crew wearing breathing apparatus.

One woman had to receive oxygen therapy for smoke inhalation from the fire service and was then checked over by a paramedic.

Kingsbridge Fire Service posted on their Facebook page to warn of the dangers of parking so an emergency vehicle can’t get through. They said: ‘Although nobody was seriously hurt today it could have been worse! Please think before you park! It could save a life!’

A first floor bedroom was left severely damaged by the fire, the remainder of the first floor was severely smoke damaged and the ground floor was slightly damage by smoke. Crews also used small tools and a thermal imaging camera to make sure the fire was fully extinguished.

The cause of the fire is thought to be the overloading of electrical sockets. A spokesman for Kingsbridge Fire Station said: ‘It is believed that the call out we attended yesterday evening was the unfortunate result of phone or tablet chargers being left plugged into an extension lead unattended.

‘Please be careful not to overload your electric circuits and think before you PLUG & GO.’