Curridge house fire caused by electric blanket

Watch manager of Red Watch at Newbury Fire Station, Bob Mitchell. said two pumps were called at 5.35am, from Newbury and Hungerford, to a bedroom fire in a detached house in Curridge Road.

On arrival, firefighters discovered an elderly woman had been helped downstairs to safety by her son, after she was awoken by smoke and that he had also put out the fire, by throwing water on the bed.

The electric blanket however was still smouldering and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus damped it down, before removing the blanket from the bed and taking it outside.

Firefighters also fitted additional smoke alarms upstairs, before leaving the scene an hour later.

It was not known if the electric blanket was faulty, or had been left switched on, but Mr Mitchell advised an annual safety check on electric blankets.