Tumble drier sparks house blaze

Crews who tackled the fire in Duffield on Saturday have given vital safety advice.

Firefighters from Kingsway and Nottingham Road Fire Stations were called to attend a house fire on New Zealand Lane.

Working smoke alarms alerted one lone occupant to a fire that had broken out in the utility room of the property. The occupant was able to get out and call 999.

A fire investigation into the cause of the fire has determined that the fire was caused by a tumble dryer.

Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, Group Manager Dave Crowther said: “Thankfully working smoke alarms were fitted at the property and were able to alert a lone occupant to the fire, allowing her to get out and raise the alarm.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading, however, sadly substantial damage has been caused to the utility room and the ground floor of the property was affected by smoke damage.”

The family of the property were provided assistance on scene by the Red Cross Emergency Support Team.

This latest fire comes on the back of a warning issued by the Service in January following a spate of tumble dryer fires in a 24 hour period. Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service would therefore like to reiterate some vital home fire safety advice:

Tumble Dryer Safety:

•

Always follow the manufacturers instructions

•

NEVER use tumble dryers at night or while unattended

•

Regularly remove the lint from the trap after every load of clothes dried

•

Do not cover the vent, or any other opening

•

Ensure the vent pipe is free from any kinks and is not crushed in any way. Only use the recommended vent pipes and not improvised ones

•

Only vent the warm air to the outside of a building. Do not put rags or materials that have been used to soak up flammable liquids into your tumble dryer

•

Do not overload your electrical sockets*

General Fire Safety:

•

Fit smoke alarms on every level of your home

•

Test your smoke alarms weekly – only working smoke alarms can give valuable early warning of a fire

•

Have a pre-planned and practiced escape plan and ensure everyone in your home is aware of this

•

In the event of a fire, Get Out, Stay Out and Call 999

For more information regarding tumble dryer safety visit http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides- and-advice/electrical-items/tumble-dryers/ *where you can also access a Socket Calculator to check if you are exceeding the maximum electrical load.

Firecrews issue warning after tumble drier sparks house blaze

Derbyshire firefighters have issue warning to residents after a tumble dryer sparked a house blaze.

Kevin Rogers

[email protected]