Kitchen fire caused by overloaded electrical socket (From News Shopper)

Sutton-at-Hone kitchen fire caused by overloaded electrical socket

12:25pm Saturday 14th April 2012 in Dartford & Swanley news By David Mills

A KITCHEN fire in Sutton-at-Hone this morning was caused by an overloaded electrical socket.

Kent Fire and Rescue are using today's incident as a warning to other households, following the blaze at around 2.30am in Devon Road.

The occupants of the property, a woman in her 80s and a her son in his 50s, were alerted to the fire after being awoken by their smoke alarm.

Around 20 per cent of the kitchen was destroyed by the flames, and the remainder was severely smoke damaged.

Incident commander, Crew Manager Jason O’Reilly, said: "Luckily the door to the kitchen was closed, containing the fire – although a significant amount of smoke was escaping into the adjoining room.

"We urge people to take appropriate safety precautions when using more than one electrical device at once. The general rule is ‘one socket, one plug’, particularly if the equipment used draws a lot of power. This includes things like kettles, microwaves and portable heaters.

"We also recommend that smoke alarms are fitted on every floor of your home to give you the best chance of being alerted in the event of a fire."

The occupants were taken care of by the Red Cross, who provided transport to relatives' homes.

Further information about keeping your home safe from fire can be found on the KFRS website at 3breaths.info