West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is reminding people to take extra care when using hair straighteners following a fire in Littlehampton.
The warning comes after firefighters were called to a house on Toddington Lane 2nd March following a blaze in an upstairs bedroom. The fire started after a girl left hair straighteners on her bed while she went into another room. When she returned, just a few minutes later, she was shocked to see her duvet alight. Luckily, she immediately raised the alarm and her quick acting grandfather managed to extinguish the blaze using a bucket of water before it could develop. Crew Commander at Littlehampton Fire Station, Alan Blair, said afterwards:"Thankfully, they have had a really lucky escape here. We are relieved that nobody has been hurt, because there was potential for this to have been a very serious incident. Hair straighteners have become increasingly popular over the last few years, particularly with teenagers, but they do carry a fire risk because they reach extremely high temperatures of around 220 degrees. They can also take a long time to cool down and if they are placed on a flamable surface like bedding then a fire can develop very quickly. Our advice would be to place straighteners on a hard heat resistant surface, even after you have unplugged them and don't leave them unattended while they are switched on." IFEDA notes that this incident highlights the need to install and regularly check fire alarms.
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