An armed response officer helped prevent a fire from spreading and potentially destroying a home in Llandudno earlier this week (Tuesday 23 November 2021, at around 16h30). “Our officer was patrolling the suburb when he heard a report on our radio network of a house fire at an address on Fisherman’s Bend Road. He went to investigate,” explains Mr Jade Hanning, Western Cape General Manager at Fidelity ADT.

When the officer arrived at the address, he was met by a group of people who told him that they were having a braai. “The officer decided to take a further look at neighbouring homes, thinking that the initial radio report might have given the incorrect address. This investigation quickly led to the discovery of another home on that same street where there appeared to be a fire,” says Hanning.

The officer found a garage where smoke was coming from, and promptly alerted the Monitoring Centre to contact Hout Bay Fire & Rescue. “Our officer meanwhile managed to get hold of the housekeeper that was looking after the property, and he was given access to the garage. He used his handheld fire extinguisher to douse the flames, and succeeded to bring the fire under control and extinguish it before Fire & Rescue arrived.”

Hanning says the owners of the property were overseas at the time of the incident. “My advice to home owners is to consider the installation of fire detection alarms and sprinkler systems, which can be connected to your home security system.”