Fire crews extinguish house fire caused by electrical fault

Firefighters have extinguished a house fire in Newcastle-under-Lyme which was caused by an electrical fault.

We were called at 4.25pm yesterday (Tuesday 2 September) to a house on Dale Close, Baldwins Gate, following reports of a fire.

Five appliances attended the scene and found a garage well alight. The fire had spread to the roof.

The fire was extinguished using breathing apparatus and three hose reel jets.

One man went to hospital for precautionary checks after suffering smoke inhalation.

We later determined that the fire was caused accidentally, by an electrical fault in the garage.

Faulty electrics cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year. We would urge people to follow some simple tips to reduce the risk of fire:

• When using electronic devices, always use the official charger rather than a cheap replica
• Ensure you replace all damaged cables and chargers
• Make sure all electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark when you buy them
• Don’t overload sockets, keep one appliance to one plug where possible
• Unplug appliances when you are going to bed or not using them.

For more electrical safety tips, visit Electrical safety.