Buying cheap electrical goods could put your pet in danger, warns fire service

This is what firefighters are asking homeowners to think about as part of a new campaign aimed at tackling electrical fires.

Figures released by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue today, to coincide with Black Friday, show there have been more than 350 electrical house fires in the county over the last three years. 

Data also shows that crews have attended over 76 house fires in the last three years where animals were involved.

Area manager Steve Helps, head of the joint police and fire community safety department, said: “When you leave the house in a morning, with the washing machine on and various electrical devices on charge, do you ever think about how your dog, or maybe your rabbit, would escape in the event of a fire? How about your fish, or budgie?

“Anybody who has a pet knows that they are part of the family but they are often overlooked when it comes to escaping in an emergency — with fire as a prime example.”

In Rotherham there have been  67 electrical-related accidental dwelling fires since 2016

The force has put together three top tips to helpe safeguard pets from electrical fires:

• Don’t leave appliances on, and devices charging at night and when you’re out of the house — to eliminate the risk of these malfunctioning and catching fire. 
• Buy electrical equipment which is genuine and from trusted sources — ‘knock off’ phone chargers and batteries are prone to setting on fire. 
• Don’t overload plug sockets — exceeding the advised current rating (13 amps) can cause them to overheat and catch fire.

“Most of our electrical fires could have been easily prevented and the most common causes are things like leaving electrical appliances (like washing machines and tumble dryers) on overnight and when people are out, as well as overloading plug sockets,” said Steve.

“Buying ‘knock-off’ electrical equipment, which does not meet safety standards, is also something we strongly discourage, as it can be prone to malfunctioning and starting fires. A good rule of thumb is that if it sounds too cheap to be true, it probably is.”