Tumble dryer warning after two fires in one weekend in Sheffield

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued the warning after fires two tumble dryer fires in Sheffield

Last month, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 48 fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, said Government figures showed there were 2,190 tumble dryer fires between 2012 and 2014.South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said it has attended 117 house fires involving tumble dryers since 2011, with faults with appliances responsible for three quarters of the incidents.

Last October a major product recall was issued and owners of large air-vented dryers and condensing dryers under the Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda brands were told they may need to have them fixed. The fault can lead to excess fluff catching the heating element in the machine and potentially causing a fire.

On Friday evening, a tumble drier caused a fire on Welbeck Road, Walkley just before 6pm. The blaze was discovered by the occupant’s son and Rivelin and Central firefighters arrived to put the fire out using a hose reel. The house was smoke logged and firefighters used specialist equipment to ventilate the property.

A second fire started on Southend Place, Sheffield just before 1am on Sunday. The tumble drier caught fire in the kitchen and the house was heavily smoke logged. A woman escaped unharmed and it’s thought the fire started due to a build up of paper at the rear of the appliance. Central firefighters tackled the blaze.

Head of community safety Trevor Bernard, said: “Registering an appliance ensures you receive important safety messages about the item you possess.

“For consumers, we know that returning a recalled product is not always convenient, especially if it’s an item that you use every day, but recall notices are issued to keep people safe. The small inconvenience of returning a recalled item is worth it when you consider that faulty products can electrocute or cause a fire.”

To find out whether an electrical product you own has been recalled via the Electrical Safety Council website.You can sign up for product recall information at www.registermyappliance.org.uk