Firefighters attend home in Benfleet after fire breaks out in garage (From Echo)

Firefighters attend home in Benfleet after fire breaks out in garage

1:58pm Sunday 9th September 2012 in News

FIREFIGHTERS were called to a home in Benfleet after a fire broke out in a garage.

Two crews from Rayleigh Weir spent forty minutes putting out the blaze at a property in Cheltenham Drive at around 9pm on Saturday.

A faulty electrical lead in a tumble dryer is believed to have triggered the fire in the detached garage.

Although it was unused, the power had been left on, effectively leaving a live circuit.

Officers from Essex Fire and Rescue are urging residents to take greater care when appliances are not being used.

Assistant Divisional Officer Eddie Brennan said: "Crews did an excellent job in preventing spread of the fire to the house. The heat had actually cracked one of the house windows but because of prompt action of firefighters the fire was stopped before it could do more damage.

"It appears the incident was triggered by an old tumble dryer in the garage. It's important for householders to remember always to switch off all electrical appliances when they are not in use to avoid incidents of this kind."

The fire was extinguished by 9:50pm.

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