Lucky to be alive
AN ELDERLY couple were lucky to escape from a blaze in their Lancing flat after they removed the battery from their smoke detector.
The fire, caused by an electrical fault, broke out in a cupboard. Luckily, they heard a bang, went to investigate and saw smoke pouring out of the cupboard door and dialled 999.
When two engines from Lancing fire station arrived on Friday night, the ground-floor flat at The Haven in Brighton Road was smoke-logged but the couple had managed to escape. Firefighters evacuated the remaining three floors of flats, with about 10 people being asked to leave their homes.