A SALISBURY woman is temporarily living in a hotel, after a fire destroyed the first floor of her home.

Resident Liz Cromack said she was told by firefighters that if she had stayed in her property during the fire two minutes longer, she would have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Now she is thanking the firefighters and community for helping her, and encouraging the public to take fire safety seriously.

Two fire crews from Salisbury, one from Wilton and the aerial ladder platform (ALP) from Salisbury were called to the blaze on Milford Park at around 9am on November 14, which Liz said was caused by an electrical fault in her ensuite.

"I saw smoke when I was looking out of the window and just thought it was a bonfire, as sometimes they go wrong of course," she said.

"My neighbour then knocked on the door and told me it was coming from my home.

"I'm just trying to forget about it now, it wasn't a huge fire but I have lost most of the upstairs.

"The firefighters said if I was in that house for two minutes longer I would have been gone, from carbon monoxide [poisoning]."

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "On arrival, firefighters found a fire in the bathroom on the first floor of a detached property which had spread to the roof.

"The ALP was used to remove tiles from the roof whilst four breathing apparatus wearers used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire. Our stop came at 10.32am."

As a result of the fire destruction and smoke damage, Liz is currently swapping between her temporary hotel accommodation and her son's home.

Speaking about the experience and community support, Liz said: "I've just learned that you must get out, even if you don't believe that you need to. That's what I'm taking from this and passing on to everyone I know.

"I'm buying everything again including clothes, I'm trying to get on with my life now, that's more important than possessions lost.

"I can't thank them enough, the firefighters and my neighbours, everybody came out offering coats, food, drinks, it was so kind.

"It would have been so much scarier otherwise."

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