electrical dangers

SCOTTISH crews respond, on average, to two house fires every day caused by the misuse of electrical equipment and faulty appliances.

And 1210 fires over the last five years were started by kitchen appliances alone.

The shocking figures illustrate the scale of the dangers posed by common household items.

A faulty fridge is believed to have caused the horrific blaze that ripped through Grenfell Tower.

Neighbours said a man rushed to raise the alarm as flames raged through his fourth-floor flat.

In the last five years, Scottish crews have been called to more than 3840 house fires where an electrical appliance was the source of ignition.

Kitchen appliances accounted for a third of these – with 425 sparked by washing machines, 371 by tumble dryers, 203 by dishwashers, 141 by fridg efreezers, 51 by washerdryers and 19 by spin dryers.

The figures also show 1800 of the blazes were started by wiring, cabling and plugs.

Fire Service bosses said that while some devices such as fridge-freezers are designed to be left on at all times, most are not.

Appliances should be switched off and unplugged as part of night-time routines – or whenever people leave the house.