A Waroona couple are lucky to be alive after fire engulfed part of their home last month.
Ken Landwehr went to bed at 12.45am on the morning of Friday, September 28 and woke at 3am to go to the bathroom, only to find the house filled with smoke.
After waking his wife Mary Ann, the couple stumbled through the house to find the front door and attempted to put out the fire with a garden hose.
“The main part of the fire was just in the family room at that point but Mary Ann had to retreat four or five times because of the intense smoke,” Mr Landwehr said.
“Unfortunately the smoke alarms weren’t connected in the family room and the kitchen and the two smoke alarms in the bedrooms were both flat.”
The couple are urging Peel residents to check their smoke alarms to prevent experiencing the same tragedy.
“For 40 seconds, I thought I was going to die,” Mr Landwehr said.
“I certainly believe that we’ve dodged a bullet.”
If I can save just one person’s life, then getting this message out there is worth it.
- Ken Landwehr
Waroona Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service captain John Twaddle and his team arrived within 15 minutes and battled the fire for over an hour.
“It was very important for us to try and keep the fire to the family room to prevent any further damage,” Mr Twaddle said.
“But more importantly if your batteries go flat, replace them immediately.
“Every year you should change your batteries on April 1.
“It could save your life.”
It’s believed the fire was started by an electrical fault in an unused power point in the living room.
The fire caused approximately $100,000 damage and it could be more than four months before the couple are able to live in the house again.
“The worst thing is the extensive smoke damage to the whole house,” Mr Landwehr said.
“We can’t live in it until the whole house is cleaned down and re-painted.”
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The couple and their two cats and pet chicken managed to escape without serious injury.
Mr Landwehr said he and his wife were in a state of shock once the blaze was extinguished.
“After the fire, I was left sitting in the house in the dark with nothing but a torch the captain lent me, looking at everything that had just gone up in smoke,” he said.
“But since the fire, we’ve had so many offers of help which is very much appreciated.”
For more information on smoke alarm maintenance, visit www.dfes.wa.gov.au.
