Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker sparked bedroom blaze after it was covered in clothes and overheated
- The blaze broke out in a property in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland, on Monday
- Firefighters were scrambled from Rainton Bridge and Farringdon at 9.40pm
- Pictures show blackened walls and destruction caused by the Alexa overheating
An Alexa sparked a bedroom blaze after it was covered in clothes and overheated.
Shocking pictures show blackened walls and carnage caused by the smart speaker in the property in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland.
Firefighters from Rainton Bridge and Farringdon rushed to the scene and wore breathing equipment as they put out the fire at around 9.40pm on Monday Jan 31.
A spokesperson for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue said: ‘Sometimes technology can be our downfall if it’s not cared for properly.
‘The Alexa smart speaker had been covered in clothing, causing it to overheat and start a fire in the bedroom.
The fire broke out Monday Jan 31 in the evening in a property in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland
‘Luckily, the occupants of the house were able to evacuate before our arrival.
‘A huge thank you to our crews who were able to keep the damage to a minimum!
The Alexa smart speaker burst into flames after being covered in clothes, causing it to overheat
‘Anything electrical has the power to overheat, so they shouldn’t be covered as this becomes a further fire hazard.’
Last month, safety experts highlighted ‘arsonist’ cats as another bizarre cause of domestic fires, after researchers from South Korea estimated a house fire is caused by a cat once every ten days in the East Asian nation.
Unattended felines can trigger touch-sensitive electric cookers, which can then ignite nearby tea towels or other flammable objects in the kitchen.
Safety experts have suggested using a stove with an automatic lock function to prevent future fires – or just unplugging appliances at the wall.
Last year, a cat and a dog started house fires in Kent in less than a week.
A border collie in Sittingbourne jumped up to reach leftovers and turned on three gas rings, while a cat stepped on a stove ignition button near Maidstone setting fire to a tea towel.
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