Recently my hand steamer – which was turned off at the time – started a fire in my bedroom. It could have burned down the house. Thankfully fire alarms alerted the owner so he was able to keep the damage to minimum.

I wasn’t at home at the time, but got a call from my host David Woodman saying my room was on fire.

According to the latest Government fire statistics, in 2020/21, almost 13500 fires across UK homes were caused by everyday home appliances. Even though the data shows an improvement of 10% compared to the year before, that still makes 159 fires a week, or 37 fires a day.

Most appliances that start accidental fires are “high heat producers”. The most common domestic appliance to burst into flames is a cooker. These caused more than half of the appliance fires in 2020/21. Ring/hot plates come second, making up 9.4%, and Grill/Toasters third. They caused 9.7% of appliance fires. Shockingly, washing machines and tumble dryers caused 1246 fires in 2020/21, putting them in 5th and 6th place.

According to The London Fire Brigade, electrical items are the fouth highest risk in the home.To keep safe at home, Electrical Direct suggests the following:

  1. Make sure electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark when you buy them
  2. Unplug electrical appliances to reduce the fire risk
  3. Prevent overheating and try to use one plug per socket, especially for high power appliances
  4. Do not use cheap chargers
  5. Look out for signs of dangerous or loose wiring
  6. Keep appliances clean and in good working order, especially ovens
  7. If an electrical appliance causes a fire, never try to put it out with water

Electrical Direct also advises that you unplug the appliance in question if it is a small fire and if it’s safe to do so, as cutting off the power might be enough to stop the fire from getting worse. People should also invest in fire alarms and powder fire extinguishers.

According to Electrical Direct, “The main thing is to ensure you and your family get out as soon as possible”, as fires can engulf a house within five minutes, and call the fire service.”

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