People warned about lighting fires if heating is out
William Telford Senior Reporter and Business Specialist
13:41, 04 Jan 2026
Wales and West gas engineers (Image: Kara Thomas/Athena Pictures)
People have been warned not to light fires or use generators indoors as temperatures plunge following the gas outage which has hit a large part of Devon.
With about 4,600 properties affected in Kingsbridge, Malborough and Salcombe, thousands of people have been without gas heating since the pipeline was damaged, cutting off supply, yesterday.
Although Wales and West Utilities engineers have fixed the damaged main, they still need to visit every affected property twice, to turn off the supply and then turn it back on again.
This work is ongoing but with temperatures set to hit a “feel-like” zero degrees by 5pm, and snow and ice forecast for the entire South West, Devon County Council has issued advice on how to stay warm.
Last night, Wales and West Utilities started distributing warm packs – which include blankets, hot water bottles and electric heaters – to vulnerable people on its Priority Services Register, and is asking residents of the South Hams to check on neighbours who could be vulnerable.
Devon County Council’s social care teams are working with the company, South Hams District Council and town and parish councils to ensure vulnerable residents who are not on the priority list are also warm and safe.
The council has also been contacting care homes and schools in the area and reviewing gritting procedures to ensure key routes remain open for gas engineers and support workers.
And it has issued advice on how to keep warm safely while the mains gas is off:
- Do not light a fire indoors unless you have a proper heating appliance for this purpose or a fireplace with a working chimney.
- Do not use camping stoves and barbecues indoors as there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can kill.
- Do not use petrol or diesel generators or other similar fuel driven equipment indoors as the exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide.
- Be very careful when using heating appliances that are not mains powered. If you have a portable gas heater that uses gas bottles and is approved for indoor use, make sure the room is well ventilated and follow all instructions carefully as the fumes can be dangerous.
- You are advised to wear several thin layers of clothing and wrap up warm. While you are sitting, keep your feet raised because air near the floor is colder.
- Get up and move around and stretch at least every hour. Get everyone in the house to gather in one room to share warmth.
- Put something like a towel or sheet under the doors of the rooms you are using to reduce draughts. Close your curtains and blinds when it gets dark to help keep the heat in. Use blankets or sheets to cover your windows if you don’t have curtains or blinds. Close the windows and doors in rooms you are not using.
- Becoming very cold can have serious effects on your health. Look out for the signs of hypothermia in people in your home. You are looking for shivering, cold and dry skin, skin and lips that are blue or grey, which may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet of black or brown skin, slurred speech, slow breathing and appearing tired or confused.
- If you are concerned for someone’s health please contact NHS Direct on 111 for non-emergency advice or 999 in an emergency.
Residents are also asked not to attempt to turn off their own gas supplies, but to wait until the engineers visit. If anyone has done so already they are asked to call Wales and West Utilities on 0800 9122999.
Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, said: “I am relieved that Wales and West Utilities engineers appear to have fixed the breach in the gas mains, so can begin to restore supply to the Kingsbridge area.
“I am very concerned about how this may impact the elderly and vulnerable, however, Wales and West Utilities have said they are prioritising these customers.
“Let’s hope they get them back up and running first. WWU will be visiting every property with a gas supply to safely restore service.”