Concerns have been raised about fire cover in Gwynedd, after it took 25 minutes for the fire brigade to reach a blaze which gutted a house in Pwllheli last Friday.

The fire, at a bungalow on Lôn Ceredigion, is thought to have been caused by a hot hairdryer being left in a drawer. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the fire service released dramatic pictures of the massive damage caused.

As firefighters battled to put out the blaze, residents were told to close their windows and doors to stop smoke getting in their houses.

Due to the severity of the fire and residual heat, smoke billowed from the premises for several hours after the fire was put out.

Crews from Pwllheli, Caernarfon and Abersoch attended and were on the scene for five hours.

Following the fire, one Gwynedd resident, who did not wish to be named, said he has been campaigning for over a year about a “lack of cover” in Gwynedd.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the first crew, from Pwllheli, arrived on scene at 12.23pm - 25 minutes after the emergency call was received.

According to Welsh Government statistics, the average response time to a rural fire (of any type) in North Wales in 2017-18 was 14 minutes - up from 11 minutes four years previously. Provisional data for 2019-20, shows 64 per cent of primary dwelling fires attended in North Wales had a response time of between one and 10 minutes.

The concerned resident said: “This incident on Friday had over 20 minutes delay in the first appliance arriving. Clearly if someone had been inside it would have been a fatality.

“A fire cover review is a must.”

Pwllheli councillor, Dylan Bullard, added: “I find the lack of fire cover, with increased traffic during the summer season, has become somewhat dangerous. This cannot continue, the authorities need to address the situation as a matter of urgency before someone is seriously hurt or worse.”

But Paul Jenkinson, senior operations manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, denied there was a lack of cover. He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the residents of North Wales that we always seek to provide the highest level of service to all those who live, work, visit and travel throughout the region.

“It is incorrect to say that the area had no fire cover at the time of the incident in Pwllheli. We respond dynamically to provide effective cover across North Wales and ensure that all areas have appropriate fire cover throughout the day, moving resources accordingly.”

Mr Jenkinson did issue an appeal to the public to join the service.

He said: “We are looking to increase the numbers of on-call firefighters and improve availability of stations and crews, and we are appealing to residents across North Wales to consider a career as an on-call firefighter. We are recruiting on-call firefighters across the region.”

The fire service confirmed that Friday’s blaze was thought to be caused by radiated heat from a hairdryer placed in a drawer.

A spokesperson added: “Please ensure that you allow any electrical appliances to cool down fully before storing them away.”