On-call Firefighter Carl Evans from Warsop recently had a house fire on Saturday 10 October at around 21:20 following a lithium-ion polymer (lipo) battery exploding in his garage.

Carl had checked the lipo batteries for faults and made sure to carry out the usual fire safety checks whilst charging.

Whilst in and out of the garage, Carl returned to see smoke and realised the battery had exploded. He followed his fire escape plan and got his family of two to safety, calling the fire service to extinguish the fire.

Warsop crews attended promptly and worked extremely hard to put out the fire using two hose reels and one main jet; six breathing apparatus were also used.

Firefighter Carl Evans said: "After following all the safety checks there was nothing else I could do to prevent this tragic event. If this unfortunate incident can happen to me it is proof it can happen to anyone.

"I urge you all to check your batteries, never leave them charging overnight and make sure you follow appropriate safety procedures.

"My house has been badly damaged and I have had to move home whilst the damages are repaired. I am grateful to the Service for their immediate response and support they have provided me."

Station Manager Andy Turner said: "This is an important reminder that fire doesn’t discriminate and an incident like this can happen to anyone, anytime anywhere.

"I am pleased to hear Carl is well and able to find a temporary home whilst the damages are being fixed. Carl has proven to show extreme resilience to this incident and has been a role model in the community providing safety advice and guidance in Warsop."