Parked cars delay crews to house fire

Firefighters have urged residents to park responsibly after poorly positioned cars delayed crews responding to a house fire in Peterborough on Monday evening.

Crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground were called to Victoria Street in Fletton just after 20:00 BST following. However, engines were slowed down by vehicles parked on both sides of the narrow road.

Station commander Gareth Boyd said incidents involving inconsiderate parking are "sadly quite common" and warned that delays could have devastating consequences.

When crews arrived, they found a fire in the kitchen. Despite the delay, the blaze was brought under control and prevented from spreading.

Boyd added: "We appreciate parking your car near your home can be a challenge, however, we really need residents to think about where they leave their cars and make sure there is enough space for our fire engines to pass through in an emergency.

"After receiving the call, our operators in Fire Control did a great job making sure they advised the residents to evacuate the property quickly and safely.

"In this instance, we were still able to get to the property quickly to prevent the fire from spreading. Next time we might not be as fortunate and the delay could be devastating."

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