Wife saves family from blaze

A COUPLE had to be rescued from their porch roof after waking in the night to find their house on fire.

Chris and Elaine Gilliver and their son Duane clambered out on to the first-floor roof after they found their bedrooms filled with thick black smoke.

FIRE CAUSE: Chris Gilliver, pictured with the dishwasher that caught fire, had to be rescued along with his wife from their porch roof.

Duane managed to jump to the ground but his parents had to be rescued by firefighters.

The fire was started by a dishwasher, which was left on when the family went to bed on Friday night.

The family did not have smoke alarms fitted at their home in Fabis Close, Swadlincote, but luckily Mrs Gilliver woke suddenly shortly after 4am on Saturday.

She said: "I don't know why I woke up, but after a few seconds I realised the room was filled with smoke. I feel thankful that everyone got out alive."

Mrs Gilliver raised the alarm by waking her husband and shouting to Duane. The 23-year-old brought a phone through to his parents so they could call the fire service.

The three of them then gathered in their son's room, which is at the front of the house, and climbed out of the window on to the porch roof.

Duane then jumped to the ground and the couple were rescued by firefighters soon after.

Their dog Max, who had been frightened by the smoke, was found by firefighters hiding underneath the stairs.

The family were taken to Queen's Hospital in Burton, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

Mr Gilliver, 46, said: "My wife saved our lives – I have no doubt about that. It was a real shock when we woke up, as we couldn't see anything because of the smoke and kept bumping into things.

"If we had gone downstairs I don't think we would have got back up."

Mr Gilliver said there was smoke damage throughout the house and the dishwasher, cooker and some of the kitchen units had been damaged by the fire.

"It smells really bad and everything is covered in soot," he said.

Firefighters from Swadlincote attended the blaze. They helped the couple down from the porch roof before tackling the dishwasher blaze, which was under control within 20 minutes.

Paul Wallace, watch manager at Swadlincote fire station, said they had now installed smoke alarms in the house.

He said: "I would encourage people to get smoke alarms fitted and to shut kitchen and lounge doors at night."