Wrexham house fire prompts appliance safety check call

Michelle Harvey had loaded her dishwasher and switched it on before the fire started

It took five months before Michelle Harvey and her partner could move back into their home in Wrexham after a fire caused by a faulty dishwasher.

She has urged people to check that appliances are safe or if they have been recalled - just like her machine.

But the dishwasher came with her rented home and she said she "had no idea of its history" before the fire in April.

Charity Electrical Safety First has advised people to register devices to receive product recall notifications.

It has also highlighted official data which has shown that of 1,719 accidental domestic fires in Wales in 2016-17, more than 1,000 involved electrical appliances.

Ms Harvey and her partner Neil Thomas were upstairs in their home when the fire started soon after she switched on the machine, prompting her to advise people not to put them on before going to bed or going out.

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She said: "We could hear the blinds cracking at the windows downstairs. Neil is very safety conscious. He thought we might have left the windows open and went to check.

"The next thing he was screaming that there was a fire and to get out. I ran downstairs to see the hallway covered in thick black smoke and flames pouring out the front of the dishwasher door."

Smoke damaged walls and windows at Ms Harvey's rented home

Every room suffered smoke damage and repairs and redecorating costs ran to thousands of pounds, she said.

"Our landlord hadn't bought the machine. It came with the house when they purchased it and was there when we moved in," she said.

"We had no idea of its history or that it had been recalled.

"I worry that there are a lot of other people living with recalled products who haven't been notified.

"We are very vigilant now and always register our appliances so we can be notified of any recalls."

Michelle Harvey and partner Neil Thomas

Electrical Safety First has advised consumers to make regular checks of plugs and sockets for burn marks and to take action if an appliance starts to make unusual sounds.

It has also called on the Welsh Government to take on its recommendations to help improve public safety awareness and reduce the number of electrical fires in Wales.

Spokesman Robert Jervis-Gibbons said: "Wales has major problems with fires caused by electricity which the charity has raised with the Welsh Government on numerous occasions."

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "While there has been a downward trend in accidental fires in the home over the last 10 years, tackling electrical fires in the home remains priority for us.

"This is why we have agreed to work with Electrical Safety First, and the fire service, to continue efforts to reduce domestic fires in Wales, paying particular attention to electrical fires.

"While fires starting in most types of appliance continue to decline, we are concerned at the increase in those starting in domestic electricity meters, fuse boxes, cabling and sockets and will look into this in more detail."