Wiring at 90-year-old's home in Burnley sparked blaze (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)
When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Wiring at 90-year-old's home in Burnley sparked blaze
1:39pm Monday 18th February 2013 in Burnley
A 90-year-old woman called firefighters to her Burnley home after flames surrounded the light fitting in her bathroom.
The electrical wiring of her bungalow in Highfield Avenue had sparked a fire which badly damaged the loft space and bathroom below.
Her smoke alarm did not detect the blaze because it was positioned on the ground floor.
Water pipes were split by the heat of the flames and badly leaked into the bathroom, damaging the floor, however luckily most of the liquid landed in the bath.
After calling the fire service, the elderly resident went to a friend’s house down the road, she was unharmed and did not receive any medical attention.
Watch manager Steve Harrison urged people to have their electrical wiring checked to avoid similar incidents.
He said: “If you have wiring which hasn’t been checked for 30 years, it could well be a real fire hazard.
“While it may have been perfectly adequate when it was fitted, they degrade over time and can become risky.
“If the ones in your house are old, get them checked out.”
The crew attended the incident at 8.30pm on Friday, using a hose to extinguish the flames and two lighting units and a thermal imaging camera to see into the loft.
