A BICESTER mum whose dishwasher caught fire is urging people to check whether any of their electrical appliances have been recalled.

Angela Downer, a nurse and mother-of-four, knows first-hand how frightening an appliance fire can be after her Hotpoint dishwasher left her home badly smoke damaged.

ALSO READ: Firefighters rush to scene of 'electrical' blaze

The incident happened when she put the dishwasher on before going to bed.

She said: "I didn’t think that something so convenient could be so dangerous.

"It was pure luck I was even awake; my daughter was home from university and we had stayed up later than usual to watch a Netflix show. I went into the kitchen and that’s when I saw the sparks coming from the top of the dishwasher.

"It happened a second time and that’s when the lights in the house went out. I rushed to check the fuse box and when I came back into the kitchen I could see the red glow of flames."

Oxford Mail:

Ms Downer dialled 999 immediately and was told by the operator to get out of the property.

She added: "I rushed my daughters out of the house as soon as I could. Oxfordshire Fire Service were truly amazing, they arrived within minutes. The operator was fantastic too, and really calmed me down.

"You don’t expect something like this to happen in your own house. As soon as I got my children out and the fire service arrived, I wasn’t scared anymore. But in those few minutes it’s so scary, especially when you can see the flames."

ALSO READ: Firefighters tackle straw fire believed to be arson in Shiplake

The fire was relatively small and contained to the kitchen on the ground floor, but the smoke damage was 'horrific'.

She continued: "Smoke reached the third floor of the house, the carpets are destroyed and we have had assessors in to see what more needs repairing.

"I later found out the dishwater was a recalled Hotpoint machine. I had no idea it was recalled. I bought the property in 2018 and it came with the house. I didn’t give it a second thought and never registered it. It’s just not something that crossed my mind before. 

"We as a family have completely rethought our habits. I’ll be registering my appliances in the future and we’ve all become so much more safety conscious as a result.

"I wouldn’t be sharing my story today if I had lost one of my daughters – that’s too painful to even think about. I am very aware just how lucky we all are to be safe.”

Oxford Mail:

A new development for smart speakers could help to prevent fires in UK homes.

ALSO READ: 'Possible arson' may have caused fire 

The add-on, compatible with Google Home and Alexa, will inform users, when prompted, if a manufacturer has issued a product recall.

The response rate to electrical product recalls in the UK, on average, is between 10 and 20 per cent, meaning many faulty appliances go undetected in millions of homes across the country, as consumers unknowingly use potentially hazardous appliances.

Developed by charity Electrical Safety First, users can instruct their speaker to open the Electrical Safety First app and will then be able to ask, 'Hey Google, has my washing machine been recalled?'. 

The smart speaker will then ask them for the brand name and inform users if any recall has been issued for that brand, prompting them to act.

The launch of the tool comes as new analysis by the Charity reveals fires caused by faulty washing machines in England have hit a five year high with 517 reported fires recorded last year.

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