A NARROWBOAT dweller in Lechlade-on-Thames was saved by his smoke alarm when his boat went up in flames while he slept.

At around 6.30am this morning (February 1) Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Lechlade’s Riverside Marina after reports of a fire on-board a 57 foot narrowboat, moored outside The Riverside Pub.

The owner of the narrowboat was unharmed, though this is the third boat fire incident at the marina, part of the River Thames, in just over six months.

Three crews attended from Fairford, Burford and Faringdon to put out the blaze this morning, before several fire fighters, led by crew manager Ade Griffiths, went around to each boat owner along the marina, giving fire safety advice and offering to fit smoke detectors.

Mr Griffiths said: “The boat was severely damaged during the fire, which occurred whilst the owner was asleep on-board. The smoke detector clearly saved his life, otherwise he would have succumbed to the smoke.”

Mr Griffiths also said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire.

On September 25 last year, crews spent three hours from around midday extinguishing the blaze, which severely damaged a boat at the marina.

Similarly, on June 16, a blaze, which took almost two hours for crews to extinguish, destroyed two boats in the early hours of the morning.