Neighbours save the day
Secret Harbour resident Julie Joynes and her family had a brush with disaster last Monday when their house was saved from a fire after some quick-thinking from their neighbours.
Mrs Joynes expressed her gratitude to her observant neighbours after they phoned 000 when they noticed smoke coming from the Joynes’ Hortonia Avenue property about 8.15am on Monday.
‘‘The lady over the fence said she saw wispy smoke coming out of the house and rang the fire brigade,’’ she said.
‘‘They were here in 12 minutes and put the fire out.
‘‘If they hadn’t have called 000 we would have lost the house.’’
Firefighters from Rockingham, Hope Valley and Secret Harbour attended the blaze and were able to put the fire out by 9.20am.
A FESA spokeswoman said the accidental blaze was believed to have started behind the dishwasher in the kitchen and spread quickly to the roof of the property causing an estimated $125,000 damage.
Mrs Joynes said she was relieved none of her family, including her daughter Sally who regularly sleeps during the day due to her work as a shift nurse, was at home. She said even though her three dogs were safe, she could only imagine how much worse her family’s close call could have been.
‘‘Every time I go out of the house and come back in it just seems worse,’’ Mrs Joynes said. ‘‘Thank God Sally wasn’t at home. She could’ve been asleep. It could’ve been so much worse. I’m so glad it’s a relatively happy ending.’’
