November 10, 2015 4.01 pm This story is over 99 months old

Faulty electrics and cooking mishaps cause 355 Lincolnshire house fires

Fire stats: More than two thirds of all accidental house fires in Lincolnshire were caused by electrical items in the last year, new figures have revealed.

More than two thirds of all accidental house fires in Lincolnshire were caused by electrical items in the last year, new figures have revealed.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue attended 355 accidental house fires in the county, 240 of which were caused by electrical faults.

Some 136 fires were as a result of the misuse of cooking appliances such as cookers, hobs, microwaves, toasters and deep fat fryers.

Faulty products or faulty wiring caused 87 fires, through things such as faulty motors, faulty circuit boards, damaged wires, trailing cables, and overloaded sockets.

Tumble dryers, dishwashers and washing machines were another common cause of fires in the county, due to the appliances combining heat, electricity and moisture.

Phone chargers, electric lighting and electric blankets were amongst the other causes of house fires.

Steve Screaton, deputy community safety manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Every year we have a number of fires caused by dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers.

“Many people put their appliances on overnight – which is not advisable. Statistically, we know that families are almost three times more likely to die in fires which start in the night – if they don’t have working smoke alarms, they breathe in the poisonous smoke and never wake up.

“To avoid this and to keep your family safe, we would strongly suggest using your electrical items in the daytime when you are in your property.”