A mum-of-five was left homeless after her house was destroyed in a blaze caused by a common household appliance. Mandy Ebury told how she was left standing in the rain watching as her beloved home burned after their tumble dryer caught fire.
Mandy, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, said: “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 10 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. “
The family was eventually put into temporary accommodation of two rooms in a hotel. Mandy said: “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.”
Mandy was speaking to raise awareness of the fire risk of white goods. New government figures show fires in England involving common household white goods happened, on average, three times every day in the last year.
Analysis of Home Office fire data by the charity, Electrical Safety First, showed that last year there were 1,140 accidental electrical fires involving common household white goods, such as tumble dryers and washing machines across the country. Speaking as part of the charity’s annual awareness week, its chief executive, Lesley Rudd, 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 interact with on a daily basis in our homes.”
In total, accidental electrical fires involving tumble dryers, washing machines, fridge freezers, dishwashers and washer/dryer combined appliances have steadily declined over the last four years, yet many areas across the country have still seen increases in incidents. More than half of the 43 fire and rescue service regions in England saw an increase in fires linked to white goods.
Accidental electrical fires involving washing machines across England increased by 7% compared with the previous year.
The areas which recorded the highest number of white goods fires in the last year included Greater London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Devon & Somerset and Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. Greater London alone recorded 186 accidental electrical fires involving white goods last year – the equivalent of three every week.
The charity 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 added: “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 in the event 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 in the event a fire occurs, you are alerted to it as soon as possible and can escape the building.”
Leanne Haynes, from Warwickshire in the West Midlands, says she had a lucky escape when her tumble dryer caught fire in the early hours of the morning just days before Christmas as she slept. She said: “I woke up confused at around 4am to the sound of the carbon monoxide alarm at first, followed by the fire alarm.
“That’s when I realised the tumble dryer had gone up in smoke. Luckily, my carer, was asleep on the sofa downstairs, where he managed to jump into action, dragging the tumble dryer outside in the rain – seconds later it was on fire.
“Seeing the smoke was horrible – but the worst part was the flames – and watching how the fire engulfed the tumble dryer so quickly. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to go through.
“I also suffer with a nerve condition meaning my mobility is limited. It’s scary to think what would have happened if it had gone up in flames inside the house as I don’t know how I would have got out.”
Leanne’s tumble dryer caught fire from what is believed to be an electrical fault – as it was simply plugged in and switched on at the time. She added: “Since it’s happened, everybody I’ve told has said they’re changing their habits, and now we turn everything off before we sleep.”
The blaze has had a lasting impact on her family. She said: “We inhaled a lot of smoke at the time, but we’ve all recovered physically at least. It’s really taken a toll on my daughter, and she’s scared it’s going to happen again and is constantly checking all the plug sockets are turned off. We even didn’t have candles at our Christmas table because of her fear of fire now.”
The fires come with a financial risk as well. New figures provided to Electrical Safety First by Admiral Home Insurance reveals the average insurance claim involving white goods fires over the last three years was £36,870.
The highest single claim the insurance group recorded involving 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.