Firefighters are calling for people to install smoke alarms after a woman died in a blaze at a house near Lichfield.
Katherine Neale lost her life after an open fire set light to nearby items at her home in Little Hay on January 26.
An inspection by investigators showed that the house had not been fitted with smoke alarms – and firefighters now say that her life may have been saved had they been installed.
“The reality is it’s likely that Ms Neale would have been able to escape before being overcome by smoke had smoke alarms given an early warning to the fire,” said spokesman Tim Hyde.
“Our thoughts are of course with Ms Neale’s family and friends and as the local community is a very close-knit one, this has come as an awful shock. We are doing all we can to support everyone involved and hopefully prevent any similar incidents in the future.”
