This Is Guernsey

By Nicci Martel

Had it not been for the smoke detector in his flat, Shaun Wallace might have died yesterday. The Victoria Road resident was woken by it at about 8am to find the flat full of smoke and a fire on the back doorstep.

‘I got up to see to it, it wasn’t the first time it has gone off so I was not worried immediately.

‘Then I smelt smoke and my mobile went. It was a friend calling to say he could see smoke coming from the flat,’ said Mr Wallace, 43, who runs Les Cordeliers Hotel.

‘There was thick smoke all over. If it hadn’t have been for that alarm, I wouldn’t be alive and neither would my friend.’

After attempting to put out the flames with an extinguisher, Mr Wallace ran downstairs to alert his housemate, who was still fast asleep.

He dragged him outside and within minutes the emergency services had arrived.

‘I don’t know who called them, but they have my thanks.’

There was some damage to the back wall of his property.

The cause of the fire is unclear, but under investigation.

Mr Wallace said he had his line of work to thank for giving him a sound understanding of the importance of fire safety because he has to be responsible for adequately fitting out staff quarters with the necessary precautions.

Community fire safety officer Andy Mauger praised Mr Wallace. He said this was a perfect example of how an alarm can make the difference between life and death.

‘We can go out there and preach as much as we want, but it’s incidents like this that really prove the importance of having an alarm fitted. It pretty much saved his life.’

The road was closed for an hour during yesterday morning’s rush hour.

‘It looks like the fire started outside and it spread, causing some damage to the roof,’ said the Fire & Rescue Service’s head of operations Trevor Queripel.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, witnessed the scene.

‘I was inside having a cup of tea when I heard the sirens. Of course, you always think the worst, so I went outside for a look.

‘There were a couple of policemen and two engines. I didn’t get a look at the fire, but there was a lot of smoke. It’s lucky they managed to put it out because in an area like this it could have easily spread.’