VIDEO: Bassetlaw ‘playing with fire’ warnings as house fires increase due to almost HALF of residents not having working smoke alarms

The district has seen a shock 10 per cent increase in property fires since 2013, with Notts Fire attending 48 fires in Bassetlaw homes in the last nine months - more than anywhere else in the county.

Out of these 48 homes, Notts Fire said that almost half did not have working smoke alarms - and that these residents are playing ‘Russian Roulette’ with the lives of their families.

“I am horrified by it, quite frankly,” said Matt Reavill, Worksop station manager and community safety manager at Notts Fire.

“Smoke alarms can be replaced with a matter of pounds, but the same can’t be said for someone’s life.”

“It’s something I see on a daily basis. Families who survive the fires often lose their family heirlooms, prized posssessions, family photos, even their homes - their lives are just destroyed.”

“They tell us they didn’t think about checking their smoke alarm because they didn’t think anything could happen to them, but of course it does.”

“It’s frustrating for us because it’s so easily preventable. Smoke alarms are inexpensive and they really are a matter of life and death,” he added.

The figures come after a family of four in Rhodesia narrowly escaped with their lives when their computer caught fire while they slept.

Thanks to the fact their smoke alarm had been checked the family, which included a four-year-old and a baby, managed to escape and survived the ordeal.

Visit notts-fire.gov.uk for more info on smoke alarms- you might be eligible for a free one.