AN EXPLOSION in a gas boiler cupboard startled a young boy playing on his computer in an adjacent bedroom.
Firefighters praised the 10-year-old for raising the alarm and preventing a serious incident. Crews were at the scene in minutes and tackled the house blaze at Plantation Close, Castlefields before it had a chance to spread. Paramedics treated the boy for shock.
Sub officer Ken Sharratt, said: "There was the potential for a more severe incident but we soon had it under control.
"The boy was upstairs on his computer. He was extremely distressed when he heard the explosion but was able to alert his mum."
A lack of ventilation, he said, caused the first floor explosion, at 12.35pm, last Wednesday.
"A quantity of plastic bottles and paint cans had been stored in the cupboard," said sub officer Sharratt. "This restricted ventilation and there was a build-up of heat. I would like to remind people there are extreme dangers of restricting the access of air to a boiler."
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