Mum’s fear following smoke scare
Dublin People 27 Nov 2011
A SINGLE mother from Dun Laoghaire has told how she
fears for the safety of her three children after the electrical circuitry in
her kitchen melted and began to smoke following heavy rainfall.
Lisa Wall (36), who lives on Clarence Street, has
called on Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to provide her with alternative
local authority accommodation following the incident.
The single mother of 10-month-old Emma, Katy (6) and
Jamie (7) recalled how on October 24 water leaked out of the electrical sockets
at her apartment during the heavy rainfall.
“The water came down the walls,
? she told Southside
People.
“It all leaked through the wall. The water leaked out
of the sockets in my kitchen and went straight across my carpet. It was
destroyed and I had to get new carpet. When I went down to the council they
told me it could happen again, but it wasn’t expected that the weather would be
so bad again.
“I left that evening because of the faulty mains and
then an electrician came out and I had to stay at a hotel the next day.
?
Ms Wall said that later on Friday, November 11, she
and her three children had to evacuate the flat again after she discovered that
a light switch in her kitchen cupboard was smoking and the circuitry attached
to it had melted.
“I was making the dinner and I could get a bad smell
of smoke and I didn’t know what it was,
? she said.
“When I went over to my
light switch, which is built into my fitted kitchen. the whole thing was
smoking.
?
“I rang the fire brigade and they told me to evacuate
the building straight away.
“When they took off the casing the whole socket was
black and the wires were melted. These wires lead into my press. I asked the
electrician about it and he said if this had happened at 2am in the morning we
could have been killed.
?
Ms Wall is has asked for an immediate transfer to
alternative accommodation and said she didn’t believe the council was taking
her case seriously enough.
“We were lucky that I was in the house at the time
when it happened. I find this a big safety issue but the council doesn’t seem
to.
“It also came to my attention that if there was a fire
in the building we would have problems getting out. There are six flights of
stairs and there is only the main door downstairs and there is no other way
out.
“I have three young kids and my little lad hasn’t been
able to sleep properly since.
“I want out of here. I am afraid for their safety and
I am living in fear. The residents are saying that the building has been deemed
safe but I don’t think so.
?
A spokesperson for the council said the property in
question is in a multi-unit block comprising five apartments and was the only
one affected during the recent bad weather.
He said a voluntary housing body manages the apartment
on behalf of the council and it immediately dealt with the issue and made the
property habitable again within 48 hours.
In addition, he pointed out that the second incident
with the electrical switch was addressed on the same day by a qualified
electrician and made safe.
“All fire safety equipment is maintained on a
quarterly basis by a qualified independent firm and the last service was
carried out there in the last week,
? the spokesperson said.
“When the property was built and acquired by the
council, it was in compliance with all building and fire regulations in place
at that time and the fact that these may have changed subsequently does not
render it non-compliant.
?
The council spokesperson said the tenant is on a list
to be transferred and will be offered alternative accommodation in accordance
with the council’s transfer policy.
“However, it is not possible to state when this will
be,
? he added.
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