Huddersfield Town commercial director Sean Jarvis has personally thanked firefighters who saved his Calderdale home after a freak blaze.
And following the incident Mr Jarvis is now helping West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spread vital fire safety messages in the hope that a whole football stadium full of fans can be encouraged to test their smoke alarms.
The fire at Sean’s Southowram home started after hot water pipes from the central heating came into contact with a wooden skateboard deck.
His nine-year-old son, Josh, raised the alarm after smelling smoke and fortunately the family also had working smoke alarms.
Afterwards, Sean reflected on how lucky they were that no-one was injured and the fire was stopped quickly.
He said: “We have had a very lucky escape that the whole house did not go up. The firefighters did a first class job.
“They were very professional. They were great and took us through everything that had happened.
“I came into the office the next day and said to everyone, check your smoke alarms and if you don’t have one then get one in quick.
“This incident has shown me how seriously we all need to take fire safety.
“You never think a fire is going to happen in your home and when it does it really takes you by surprise.
“If every football fan, and indeed everyone and anyone, can just take heed of my experience and go home today and test their smoke alarms to help protect their families, I would be delighted.”
The firefighters who put out the fire were reunited with Sean and Josh, who was being looked after by his grandmother when the blaze broke out on the night of January 26.
Because of their fast actions dialling 999, crews from Brighouse, Halifax and Elland were quick on the scene and were able to contain the fire to the hallway of the house.
Tests showed the skateboard had been in contact with a low temperature over a very long period of time.
Fire Investigator Mark Whitaker said: “It’s called pyrophoric action and is a rare thing, but it’s not impossible.
“It can be best described as the ignition of wood by long-term exposure to low temperatures, especially if the temperature varies, for example, around heating pipes.
“As in Sean’s case, a plywood skateboard was in direct contact with central heating pipes.
“The skateboard had been in that place for at least four years and was insulated by a large amount of storage placed around it.
“The temperature variation of the heating going on and off cooks the wood like charcoal and eventually if the combination is right it will go into a smouldering fire and then will ignite something.”
