Blazes in Hampshire and Isle of Wight involving common household white goods occurred, on average, almost once a week in the last year.
In total, accidental electrical fires involving tumble dryers, washing machines, fridge freezers, dishwashers and washer/dryer combined appliances declined by over 25% in Hampshire and Isle of Wight from 54 in 2022/23 to 44 in 2023/24.
Further analysis of data showed that last year, nationally, 1,140 accidental electrical fires involving common household white goods occurred in England – the equivalent of three fires per day – and a decrease from the previous year.
Jamie Cousins, Station Manager at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, said:
“Electrical fires present a real risk across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, often causing significant damage to the homes of residents and sometimes leading to the most tragic of consequences.
“If a fire were to break out, the effects can be devastating if they are not detected early enough, especially if this happens overnight.
“During Electrical Fire Safety Week, please take the opportunity to check your home, consider the safety of your family and ensure you have working smoke detectors.
“It’s so important to use electrical appliances and devices correctly – overloading sockets, using the wrong chargers, and not checking the wiring on items are all common causes of fires in the home, yet are all easily avoided.”
Mandy Ebury, a mother of five from Basingstoke, recalls how she watched her house burn in the rain weeks before Christmas, leaving the family in temporary accommodation facing one of the worst starts to the New Year, after her tumble dryer caught fire shortly after being switched on.
Mandy told Electrical Safety First:
“It was a Saturday in late November, a normal day just like any other. I decided to tumble dry our washing. I loaded the dryer and set it to its usual setting. About ten minutes later my daughter called out saying she could smell burning.
“As I walked into the hallway, I was met by thick black smoke coming from behind the tumble dryer. I screamed and screamed to the kids to get out of the house.
“My daughter Lola helped make sure my autistic son got out of the house, as well as our four dogs and then she called the fire service. I don’t know how she managed to stay so calm.
“We all left the house in a state of blind panic and I could see the flames getting bigger. Within minutes the fire service arrived. As they opened the front door, we could see nothing but fire. We were led further from the house and all we could do was stand there in the rain watching as our home burned. My son and I had no shoes on. We stood in the rain dumbstruck. One of our neighbours came out and took us into her home, where she supplied hot tea. I felt afraid and anxious and angry because I felt I hadn’t been able to save my family’s home from the fire. I will never forget that day. It will be with me forever.
“After the fire we seemed to be in a ‘no man’s land’ of emotions. It hadn’t quite sunk in that we were homeless. We were very much in shock.
“Eventually, we were put into temporary accommodation. Two rooms in a hotel. This is where we spent Christmas together. We tried to make the best of a bad situation, brought a small tree and put gifts under it. It was hard trying to stay positive but we did it. Being a close-knit family really helped us through this time. We’re still in our rooms. The housing association are doing their best but it’s definitely one of the worst New Years I’ve experienced. It’s going to be a while before we get our home back, maybe even a year. It’s having a huge impact on our mental health. My daughter has counselling now. The images will never go away.”
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, said:
“Fires of any type can ruin lives, by damaging physical and mental health, destroying homes and putting lives at risk. It’s easy to forget that they can start from the very appliances we use in our homes each day.
“Whilst fires involving white goods have decreased in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Mandy’s story shines a light on how damaging and absolutely devastating they can be. So, it’s really important people understand the steps they can take to reduce the risk of a fire occurring within their home.”
Electrical Safety First is warning households that white goods fires can happen for many different reasons and is urging everyone to take simple steps to reduce the risk of a fire occurring within their home.
Lesley Rudd adds:
“Fires from white goods can be caused by many different factors including, poor ventilation, wiring that may become damaged, a lack of maintenance, faults, as well as overloaded extension leads if an appliance is connected through one.”
“We can all take just a few minutes to reduce the chances of one of these frightening fires from happening in our homes. Make sure you regularly clean lint filters on dryers and register appliances so that if they are recalled you can be contacted by the manufacturer,”
“Check to make sure cables are not damaged and avoid using extension leads, which might become overloaded and increase the risk of a fire occurring. Fires can be particularly dangerous if they happen when you are sleeping, so if you can, avoid running your appliance at night as your ability to respond quickly to a fire will be decreased. Don’t forget that fire alarms save lives, so it’s imperative you have one on every floor of your property so that if a fire occurs, you are alerted to it as soon as possible and can escape the building.”
The eye watering financial cost of a white goods fire to households has also been revealed.
New figures provided to Electrical Safety First by Admiral Insurance Group reveals the average insurance claim of white goods fires over the last three years was £36,870.
The highest single claim the insurance group recorded for white goods fires in the last three years was just under £290,000.
More than half (51%) of the insurance groups white goods fire claims were due to tumble dryers, whilst almost a quarter (24%) were due to dishwashers.
