Laptop left on charge causes house fire

Crews have praised a resident after he followed safety advice when a fire started in his home.

Firefighters from Colchester, Tiptree and Nayland were called to a house fire in Bluebell Way, Colchester today (Thursday 14 April) at 1.05am. 

A laptop left charging on a bed had overheated and exploded, setting fire to bedding.

Watch Manager Darren Holliday said: "The occupant was woken by a loud bang and shortly afterwards heard his smoke alarm.

"He woke up his family and got them out of the house. He was also able to close the internal doors, which stopped the fire and smoke from spreading, and he isolated the electricity.

"Most importantly, he followed our advice if there is a fire in your home: get out, stay out and call 999."

Crews extinguished the fire by 1.37am and used a fan to ventilate the property. They gave oxygen to a woman who was suffering with breathing difficulties.

Because the occupant closed the internal doors, the damage was limited to the first floor bedroom.

Watch Manager Holliday said: "The incident also highlights the importance of not leaving electrical items on charge overnight because, as happened here, they can overheat and cause a fire."

Do you have working smoke alarms?

As this incidents shows, smoke alarms can keep you and your family safe. We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home.

You can book a free Home Fire Safety visit by either popping into your local fire station, calling 0300 303 0088 or booking a visit online at www.essex-fire.gov.uk/book

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Firefighters from Tiptree are on-call Firefighters, who all live or work within 5 minutes of Tiptree Fire Station and attend incidents.

If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter too.

Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call