Firefighters are urging residents to keep reflective furnishings, crystal ornaments and shaving mirrors out of direct sunlight after a chrome window handle was thought to have sparked a small fire at a house on Avocet Close, Mexborough.
Scorch marks on a window frame were discovered by the occupant and Dearne firefighters attended the property as a precaution. Fortunately, there was minimal fire damage and no one was hurt.
There were no ornaments between the blind and the window, leaving the most probable cause to be sunlight reflecting off the chrome window handles.
Group Manager Simon Dunker, said: “These sort of incidents are not as rare as you would think, particularly at this time of year when the sun is getting lower. I would urge everyone to ensure they have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home and know what to do in the event of a fire.”
Elsewhere in the UK, fires are reported to have been started by anything from glass door knobs and shaving mirrors, to jars of nutella.
Sunlight fires are particularly common in autumn and spring when the sun is lower in the sky.
Our top three sunlight fire safety tips are:
- Keep concave mirrors and crystal or glass objects away from sunny sills and flammable materials
- Fit at least one smoke alarm per floor and test them every week to make sure they work and the batteries are not flat.
- If you have a fire, close the door on the blaze, get out, stay out and call 999
Firefighters were called at 08.25 on Sunday 2 October, and left the scene at 09.11. A fire crew from Dearne fire station attended the incident.