Electric blanket 'left on for some hours' blamed for fire at converted stately home

A huge blaze at a converted stately home was caused by an unattended electric blanket, the fire service revealed yesterday.

Some 12 engines and 60 firefighters rushed to Grade II-listed Holnest Park House, in Holnest, Dorset, on Saturday night.

The property, which lies south of Sherborne, dates back to the Georgian period but was divided up into seven individual flats in modern times.

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The “very large and well-developed fire” spread throughout the central part of the three-section building, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said.

The blaze was contained and did not spread to the left and right wings. But yesterday morning the central section had been judged “structurally unsound” and the ceiling was close to collapse, fire officials said.

Two flats have been “substantially damaged” in the fire, although both residents were out at the time and no one else had been injured.

After an investigation the service believes that an electric blanket, left on for “some hours” in the ground floor flat, was the cause.

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Fire investigation officer Mike Cox said: “Although no-one was injured in this incident, a substantial amount of damage has been caused to the centre two flats of this imposing property.

“Some very, very simple safety measures would have prevented this happening.

“Electric blankets are perfectly safe to use so long as they are not damaged, are thermostatically controlled, are tested regularly by qualified electricians and are stored correctly, either flat or rolled, not folded.

“In this case the blanket was left on without a thermostat so acted as an unmonitored heating device which did just that, continued to heat until it caught fire.

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“Crews worked extremely hard to limit the spread of fire to the neighbouring wings as the fire continued to spread throughout the cavities and voids in the roof and full praise to all of them.”

The property is thought to have been built as the country seat of the Drax family in the 18th century.

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