A senior fire officer is highlighting the importance of working smoke alarms after they alerted an elderly couple of a fire in their Rhosmeirch home in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Llangefni and Menai Bridge were called to the detached property in Rhosmeirch, Llangefni at 04.11hrs this morning, Thursday January 2^nd and used one hose reel and six sets of breathing apparatus to tackle the fire.

The residents, a couple in their 70s were alerted by the sound of a smoke alarm fitted by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and were given fire survival advice by control operators before being led to safety by firefighters.

They were transferred to hospital by ambulance as a precautionary measure and have since been released.

The fire caused substantial smoke damage to the ground and first floors of the property and slight fire damage to the living room. The cause of the fire is thought to be electrical.

Darren Jones from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Smoke alarms really can save lives and this incident is proof of this - the early activation of the smoke alarm allowed the residents to call 999 and control operators were able to give fire survival advice before fighfighters led them to safety.

"This kind of incident clearly demonstrates the importance of working smoke alarms - they really can save your life and the lives of your loved ones. These smoke alarms were fitted by a member of the Service free of charge through a free home fire safety check - everyone should have working smoke alarms in their homes.

"The cause of the fire is thought to be electrical - if anyone has any doubts about the safety or functionality of their electrics or electrical equipment they should be checked by a qualified and reputable electrician.

"We attend around 470 accidental fires in dwellings each year and electricity or electrical items are responsible for over 300 of these fires.

"Around 90 of these fires are due to electrical faults - but the majority are caused by misuse of the electrical items. It's important to operate appliances according to the manufacturers' instructions and to check electrical items and leads for signs of damage or wear.

"Switch off electrical appliances when not in use, unless they're designed to stay on. Don't overload sockets and plugs but use correctly fused multi gang safety leads. Please see the amp calculator on www.nwales-fireserfireservice / keeping you safe / looking after the electrics or follow this link /looking-after-the-electrics.aspx?lang=en."

For more advice on fire safety and for the opportunity to have free smoke alarms fitted in your home, please contact North Wales Fire and Rescue Service for a free home fire safety check.

To register, please call our free 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk or text 88365, ensuring you prefix your message with the word HFSC.