One baby was injured during an evacuation
Alex Driscoll Breaking news reporter
06:00, 28 Feb 2026
File photo of a Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service engine(Image: Daniel Clark)
Vulnerable young women and their babies were left outside in the cold for almost two hours after a special housing unit was evacuated in Plymouth.
Stanley House which provides supported accommodation for expectant and new mums aged 16 to 25 was evacuated on Sunday, February 22, at around 5.55pm after a fire alarm went off.
Residents were stuck outside for nearly two hours as the fire service investigated what set the alarm off.
One mother said families were left without warm clothing or enough prams and that during the evacuation, one baby was injured in poor lighting.
Westward Housing, which manages the accommodation, said it was “extremely sorry” to hear about the experience and admitted that there were no staff on site because of a “scheduling oversight”. It said it would investigate the lighting.
‘Potentially dangerous’ and cannot be allowed to happen
One of the mums told PlymouthLive that eight mothers, one father and around 11 children were evacuated when the fire alarm was first sounded at 5.55pm. Amongst the children she said were four toddlers and several babies aged between one month and one year.
She said there were no staff on site and because of that, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue was unable to silence the alarm, meaning families had to stay outside in cold temperatures while firefighters tried to find out the reason for the alarm.
The mother said: “Several mothers and babies were outside without shoes, coats, or adequate clothing, and residents were left to manage the situation entirely on their own.
“Attempts to contact Westward Housing were extremely difficult. When contact was finally made via the emergency line, residents were redirected to repairs and informed nothing could be done, leaving vulnerable families without assistance.
“The office was locked, meaning no access to a first aid kit or emergency supplies was available.
“Safety risks escalated while outside and due to poor lighting, one baby was injured when a pram pole struck near her eye during the evacuation.
“Another toddler’s pram toppled over on unstable cobblestones at the assembly point.
“The designated outdoor area was not large enough to safely accommodate residents, even with the building not at full capacity.
“One mother was forced to breastfeed her baby outside in the cold. Many residents had no alternative accommodation to go to, and being a Sunday evening, support services were largely unavailable.”
“With very few prams available, babies had to be rotated between prams to stay warm using whatever coverings were available.”
She said that residents conducted roll calls in order to make sure that everyone was out of the building but slammed Westward Housing for a “serious failure” which was a “distressing” and a “potentially dangerous” incident.
She added that on Sundays, the site should have had staff from 11am, but that no staff could be contacted from around 1pm onwards in the hours before the fire alarm went off.
“This situation represents a serious failure in emergency response, safeguarding, and duty of care toward vulnerable residents and infants.
“At no point were families provided with adequate supervision, emergency planning, or practical support, despite living in accommodation specifically intended to provide that support.
“Residents should never have been placed in a situation where they were forced to manage a prolonged emergency evacuation alone, particularly with new-borns and toddlers present.
“This was not only distressing but potentially dangerous, and cannot be allowed to happen in supported accommodation responsible for the welfare of mothers and babies.”
“We want our residents to feel safe”
Westward Housing said it was “extremely sorry” to hear about the experience and accepts that it was “disruptive and unpleasant” for those involved.
The housing association said that while staff are not contractually on-site on a 24-hour basis, a scheduling oversight meant a colleague was not on site at the time which had “been rectified”.
It said it would investigate the poor lighting and added that it wanted residents to “feel safe and happy at Stanley House”.
A spokesperson for Westward Housing said: “We were extremely sorry to hear from the residents about their unpleasant experience when the Stanley House team spoke with them. It was disruptive and unpleasant for them and we are sorry it happened.
“It is a great shame that the young families were outside for that time without adequate clothing, although it is better to be safe than sorry even when it is a false alarm. Customer safety is of the highest priority in all our service provision at Westward.
“The duration of the evacuation was between 5.55pm and 7.40pm, one hour and forty-five minutes [in length]. The Fire and Rescue Service were on site and also the fire alarm provider.
“Westward’s Plymouth Parents’ Support Service operates with high levels of staffing but the service is not contractually staffed on-site on a 24 hour basis. On this occasion, a scheduling oversight meant our colleague was not on site at the expected time, this has now been rectified for future assurance.
“Westward conducts regular health and safety testing of all fire equipment, including frequent checks of the fire alarm system and emergency lighting. Both systems have recently passed their required inspections.
“We understand that low level lighting made it a more unpleasant experience and resulted in an infant with a scratched cheek. Our health and safety manager is investigating and lighting for that area will be addressed as part of this.
“Our colleagues at Stanley House are working closely with the residents to reassure them as regards their safety and to ensure that if the fire alarm triggers again they would have a more positive evacuation experience. We are reviewing our internal processes and the findings will guide improvements to prevent a recurrence.
“We want our residents to feel safe and happy at Stanley House.”
What caused the fire alarms to go off?
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it was called twice over the course of just under two hours to investigate the fire alarm.
On the first call-out, at 6.07pm, a crew from Greenbank Fire Station found no sign of fire and left the scene in the hands of the keyholders at 6.40pm.
Just over 30 minutes later, the fire alarm sounded again and there was a smell of smoke, and the same crew returned to the incident.
Firefighters found that the smoke was coming from a log burner in an adjacent property and firefighters then left the scene at 7.47pm.
A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said: “We were called to a residential property in Plymouth at 6.07pm on 22 February following reports of an alarm sounding.
“A crew from Greenbank Fire Station attended, found no sign of fire, and left the scene in the hands of the keyholders at 6.40pm.
“At 7.16pm, another call was made reporting that the alarm was sounding again and this time accompanied by the smell of smoke.
“The crew from Greenbank Fire Station returned, investigated, and found the smell was caused by a log burner in an adjacent property.
“The scene was left with the keyholders, and the crew returned to station at 7.47pm.”
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