A house fire in Wrexham turned out to be a timely warning to residents to switch on to being electrically safe this Christmas - and to avoid overloading electrical sockets, especially as decorations start to go up in time for the festive season.
Noirth Wales firefighters called to a washing machine fire at a property in Henblas Road, Rhostyllen at 12.34hrs on Monday 2nd December arrived to find a total of 14 kitchen appliances running off the same electrical socket.
"These residents were lucky - they smelled smoke when the washing machine overheated and called us for assistance. The damage could have been worse if they had been out at the time or even more serious if they had been asleep in their beds," said Steve Houghton from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
In February this year the Griffith family of seven were rescued through their window following an electrical fire in their Barmouth home and later featured in a campaign by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to appeal to residents across the region to 'Get switched on to fire safety!'
Gary Brandrick, Senior Fire Safety Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: "So many residents use old or dangerous electrical items and overload their sockets, causing a potentially fatal fire risk. We attend around 470 accidental fires in dwellings each year and electricity or electrical items are responsible for over 300 of these fires.
Stay safe!
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