Aussie family's lucky escape after hearing 'popping and crackling' in garage
A Queensland mum of six has described the terrifying moment her family fled their home after a garage door motor burst into flames.
Annalisa, from Cairns, shared her ordeal and photos of the fire's destruction online, saying she had just finished work and was starting to relax when the blaze erupted inside her Edmoton home on Sunday night.
She said there were no warning signs before the flames flickered. “There was no beeping sound, the roller door just started to open,” Annalisa wrote on a community Facebook group. “Then it was stopping and shuddering, then we heard popping and crackling, then smoke and flames.
“We actually had the door that leads into the garage from the house open and we heard and saw it happen.”
Quick-thinking saves family and their car
Thanks to the mum's quick-thinking, she was able to save the family car and “everyone is fine”. “We were just lucky that we were awake,” Annalisa told her followers on Facebook.
“It happened so quickly but we reacted just as quick as the [Ford Falcon] XR8 was directly under it. It was moved out as I called 000.”
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) told Yahoo News Australia it received a call to the Mceachan Street home at about 10.50pm. Within 10 minutes, two crews had extinguished the blaze after isolating power to the property.
While it’s not clear how many people were at home at the time of the fire, QFES said that there were no injuries reported and no need for an ambulance or police.
'Rare' fire has Facebook users on edge
In sharing her story online, Annalisa expressed her gratitude for those who responded to the incident.
“[I] just wanted to say a massive thank you to the awesome fire brigade that came out tonight when my garage door motor had a meltdown, literally,” she wrote. “Their concern for my autistic daughter was amazing, keeping her calm. I cannot say thank you enough for what they’ve done.”
While other Facebook users were left questioning the safety of their own garage door systems.
“A few weeks ago I noticed our steel line motor, that looks like the one in your pics, has got melted plastic on the back of the case,” one person said. “[I] have had it switched off to be safe. Wonder if it’s got the same issue. Scary stuff.”
“Happy to see that you’re safe but it makes me wonder,” another said. “Our garage door packed up after 17 years of trustworthy service.” Another person asked whether someone could have tampered with the garage door.
“The only control was sitting in its spot on the wall,” Annalisa replied. She went on to respond to another user who said they’d “never heard of that happening before”.
“Apparently it does happen, but very rarely,” she said.
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