Hoover left charging causes fire in Rayleigh study

The resident didn't have a smoke alarm on the ground floor

Author: Ellie CloutePublished 3rd Oct 2023
Last updated 3rd Oct 2023

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) are urging residents across the county to ensure working smoke alarms are fitted on all floors of your home, after a fire in Rayleigh yesterday afternoon (2 October).

Crews were called to Eastview Drive just before 2pm, where a fire was found in a study, which required Breathing Apparatus to enter the property.

After the fire was extinguished, around 2:30pm, it became clear that the fire was caused by hoover which was left on charge.

Crew Manager Adam Paterson said: “Incidents like this serve as a good reminder as to why we recommend everyone has working smoke alarms on every level of their property.

“Unfortunately, this resident didn’t have a smoke alarm on the ground floor and the one upstairs wasn’t working so didn’t alert them to the fire. It's really lucky they realised they could smell smoke and called us straight away.

“Once we extinguished the fire, it was clear that the cause of the fire was a hoover which was left on charge. Please avoid leaving items unattended and on charge for a long periods of time.”

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