Ipswich family saved by smoke alarms after house fire

A Castle Hill family escaped a house fire on 22 January after working smoke alarms woke them; firefighters rescued two kittens and the blaze was linked to a car jump-lead battery charger.

A house in the Castle Hill area of Ipswich caught fire in the early hours of 22 January and a family of four were alerted by working smoke alarms. The father, Jamie Warden, woke to the alarms at about 03:00 GMT and discovered smoke on the stairs, and the household was able to get outside. Two kittens remained inside and the fire service was called; firefighters rescued the animals and both survived after receiving care. The living room was later found to have been destroyed and the rest of the house suffered smoke damage. What we know: - The incident occurred on 22 January in Castle Hill, Ipswich, and the smoke alarms woke the family at about 03:00 GMT. - The family of four escaped the property; the father attempted to rescue two kittens but had to wait for firefighters to intervene. - Firefighters rescued both kittens; one was given CPR and both received oxygen and survived. - Investigators determined the blaze was started by a battery charger for car jump leads. - The living room was destroyed and the remainder of the house sustained smoke damage; Warden said he expected the family could return by the summer. - Research from Electrical Safety First was cited, finding that 9% of people in the East of England admitted to never testing their smoke alarm. Summary: The family credits working smoke alarms with waking them and allowing them to leave the house safely, while the fire service rescued two kittens that later survived. The home suffered significant damage but the family hopes to return by the summer; other procedural or recovery steps were not detailed and are undetermined at this time.