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By BBC
After putting a disposable barbecue in a wheelie bin, a man’s house burned down, prompting him to become a firefighter.
In Lytham, Paul O’Brien disposed of the £2 barbecue hours after using it in his outdoor bin.
The fire smouldered overnight before spreading to a fence, Mr O’Brien’s car, and then his house.
It was “to give back to the community” that the 47-year-old took on the on-call role.
In Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS), on-call firefighters have another job and provide “on-call cover from home or work, rather than being based at a fire station”.
Their pager alerts them to emergencies, so they must live or work near the fire station in order to respond to a wide range of situations and incidents.
The fire on 14 June 2021, which caused “over £100,000 of damage to my home”, inspired Mr O’Brien to join.
After putting the barbecue in the bin, he said: “I thought I knew how long the coals would smoulder.”
He said, “I was wrong.”.
At 5:00 BST, he and his family were woken by a knock at the door and a crackling noise, but were able to escape before the fire spread.
For two years, the family lived in temporary housing after losing all their possessions.
Upon returning to the area, Mr O’Brien saw a sign outside Lytham Fire Station asking for new recruits and decided “now is the time for me”.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
“When I was a kid, the question was: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.”
After what happened, he said, it felt like giving something back.
In addition, he said he hoped his experience would help him provide support to those affected by fires.
In addition, he advised people not to use disposable barbecues and to dispose of them carefully.
In case you do use one, submerge it in water to ensure it is no longer burning.
It cost me over £100,000 to repair the damage caused by a £2 barbecue.
According to the LFRS representative, anyone using hot coal items should thoroughly extinguish all flames and keep everything away from fence panels, decking, and garden furniture.
Hot coals should be left to cool overnight, and hot ash should be submerged in water before disposal.
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