Family homeless after cats and dog die in Essex house fire
A family has been left homeless – and three of their beloved pets have died – following a house fire started by a dishwasher in Essex. Fire crews were called to Ozier Court in Saffron Walden at 3.01pm on Saturday (April 22) and reported that a house was heavily smoke-logged. Crew members donned breathing apparatus and entered the property where they discovered a fire in the kitchen.
Firefighters extinguished the fire by 3:49pm and think it was caused by an electrical fault with a dishwasher. Sadly, despite the best efforts of crews, two cats and a dog died at the scene, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said in an update on the incident. Watch Manager Paul Curtis from Saffron Walden Fire Station said: “Electrical faults in appliances are surprisingly common and they can cause fires.
So our top advice would be to make sure you’re home and awake when things like dishwashers and washing machines are running. “We’d also urge everybody to make sure you have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home to alert you to a fire. Test your smoke alarms at least once a month to make sure you and your family get an early warning sign to a fire in your home.
“We’d also like to highlight the importance of keeping your doors closed if you can.
Closing doors can prevent lots of smoke spreading throughout the house and by closing doors, you can help prevent fires spreading.”