“We had just finished dinner and were doing the clean-up, and all of a sudden, we heard the (smoke) alarm in the lounge area,” Mr Gajurel said.
“We went through each and every room and found that the second bedroom was already on fire — then we just tried to find a way out.”
As the bedroom door was closed and there was no smoke alarm inside, the fire was already burning aggressively by the time the family was alerted.
The family safely evacuated, but the house had to be demolished because of irreparable damage.
Seeing himself as lucky that nobody had been sleeping in the bedroom when the fire broke out, Mr Gajurel urged everybody to install a smoke alarm in their bedrooms.
“I think it’s really important to have (smoke) alarms in each bedroom, just in case. When you are sleeping ... you can (be woken up) and act quickly,” he said.
The family’s close call has prompted Victorian fire services to emphasise smoke alarms as a bedroom essential.
Fire Rescue Victoria deputy commissioner of community safety Joshua Fischer said fires that started in bedrooms were the ones most likely to kill you.
“If a fire breaks out in your bedroom and the door is shut, the hallway smoke alarm will not activate until the fire has burned through the door, which will be too late,” he said.
“Smoke will not wake you — in fact, it will put you into a deeper sleep and render you unconscious — so it’s crucial that you have a smoke alarm installed in all sleeping areas.
“Without a working smoke alarm, you may not get the chance to safely escape. Quite simply, they could save you and your family’s lives.”
A smoke alarm costs as little as $20, with options available.
A recent FRV and CFA survey found that only 17 per cent of Victorians had bedroom smoke alarms, while 47 per cent lacked them in living rooms.
During the high-risk months of late autumn, winter and early spring, it’s important to remember that only working smoke alarms save lives, so check and change batteries yearly.
Smoke alarms should be tested every month by pressing the test button on the alarm and waiting for the test alarm to sound.
All smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years, with one installed in every bedroom and living area.
For more information, visit the FRV and CFA websites.
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