Women avert house fire disaster

Jennifer Chapman | 12th August 2009

“I'm a very resilient lady. I want to live until I'm 105.”

Those were the relieved words from 64-year-old Patricia Beaumont, who could have been homeless if she had not been quick on her feet on Tuesday and put out a fire before it got out of control.

Luckily a blackened kitchen ceiling and ruined saucepan were the only fallout at her Pialba home.

Ms Beaumont was frying a Chiko roll in a pot of oil on her stove stop yesterday morning when her daughter, Rebecca, and her grandson, Blake, arrived from Toowoomba.

The family had not seen each other for a long time and in the excitement Ms Beaumont forgot about her morning snack.

Within a couple of minutes the kitchen had filled with black smoke, with the saucepan on fire.

As soon as the women noticed the flames Blake was taken outside to neighbour Kristin Retallack, who was on her way over after spotting a “column of fire” from her home.

Ms Retallack came to the rescue with a fire blanket which Rebecca threw over the top of the saucepan as Ms Beaumont turned the gas off.

The smoke was thick and quickly spread through the house. So crouching, the women called the Hervey Bay Fire Brigade before fleeing outside.

“I knew what to do,” Ms Beaumont said as firefighters inspected the home wearing breathing apparatus.

“Call the fire brigade, get the fire blanket, and get the hell out of there.

“I'm glad I've saved my home. It's incredible how one fire blanket can save a home.”

A shaky Rebecca said nobody panicked during the fire: “We just did what had to be done and got everyone out.”

Station officer Mark Long said the women did exactly what they should have.

He said there were, on average, three stove top fires in Hervey Bay every week.