Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service warning after parked cars block Newark fire engine attending fire in Balderton

The public are being warned after parked cars blocked a fire engine attending an incident.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a domestic fire on July 19 at 3:30am, on Smith Street, Balderton.

Crews from Newark attended and managed to extinguish the fire and clear smoke from the property.

However, on arrival the fire engine struggled to gain access to the area due to double parking.

Crew manager, Dan Gloster, said “We’re asking residents to think about emergency vehicle access when you’re parking.

“We could be called to respond at any time, day or night, so please help us to help you.

“While for this incident, residential parking didn’t cause any serious delays to our response, the fire engine had to park several houses down from the property.

“This was a hinderance which could have had an even greater impact at a larger incident.

“Luckily, smoke alarms in the property altered a neighbour to the fire, and we were able to intervene early.”

The fire was revealed to have been caused by cooking left on a stove in the kitchen

Crews were in the area over the following days to offer safety advice and fit smoke alarms.