Dear Editor

What can you do in St Marys in two minutes (that’s 120 seconds), without any effort on your part, that will change your life forever?

Die in a building fire! Two minutes is all it takes from ignition to flashover occurring, that is when the smoke in the room ignites, engulfing the room in flames.

If you do not have a WORKING smoke alarm and you are asleep when a fire starts you will not wake up, I say you will NOT wake up ever again.

This is fact, not fiction. The fire that occurred in the  garage in the Main Street of St Marys could have easily spread to the adjoining buildings, up to and including the Post Office. Thankfully due to good fortune, combined with the efforts of our volunteer fire fighters, it did not – this time.

If this fire was deliberately lit, people in this community will be aware and you need to speak out; lives could have been lost.

David Watkins, St Marys.