FIREFIGHTERS today urged people to get their electric blankets tested following a bedroom fire in Stowmarket.A faulty electric blanket is believed to be the cause of the fire which broke out in Old School Mews in Violet Hill Road.
FIREFIGHTERS today urged people to get their electric blankets tested following a bedroom fire in Stowmarket.
A faulty electric blanket is believed to be the cause of the fire which broke out in Old School Mews in Violet Hill Road.
No one was in the bed when the fire broke out just before 9.30pm on Saturday and the occupants of the property were alerted by the smoke detector.
Sub Officer Russell Punchard said: "The occupants had isolated the electric and put water over the blanket, but the bed was still smouldering when we arrived.
"We took the contents outside, to avoid damage to the house, and doused it with water.
"There is an important safety measure here for everybody.
"At this time of year people can become complacent with electric blankets as they provide a valuable heat source.
"It is vital that everybody has their blankets checked at least once a year.
"This incident could have easily been quite different with a tragic ending."
Nobody was injured in the incident or suffered smoke inhalation.
During recent safety checks carried out by trading standards and Suffolk Fire Service, one in three electric blankets tested proved so dangerous they had to be destroyed.
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