The owner of a Fairfield house that was ravaged by fire is reminding homeowners during Fire Prevention Week to prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario.

Al Donahue was home last week with his family on Adelaide Street when a fire started in his downstairs bathroom and quickly spread upstairs. The family fled the house and was uninjured.

"I think this could happen to anybody," he says. "It could happen in a matter of moments. I was getting ready to cook our dinner and in a matter of moments our lives changed significantly." 

Firefighters say Donahue did the right thing by first getting his family to safety and then trying to put out the fire. Experts say everyone should have a fire extinguisher on hand, and homeowners should know how to use the extinguisher.

They also say to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have fresh batteries, and that homeowners and renters read the fine print in their insurance policies.