Man escapes Sunderland house fire caused by shower electrical fault

A man escaped a blaze at his Sunderland home which was caused by an electrical fault with a bathroom shower.
Claxheugh Road in South Hylton, Sunderland. Copyright Google Maps.Claxheugh Road in South Hylton, Sunderland. Copyright Google Maps.
Claxheugh Road in South Hylton, Sunderland. Copyright Google Maps.

Crews from Farringdon station were called to the incident in Claxheugh Road in South Hylton just after midday today.

It is believed the fire broke out due to an electrical fault with the shower.

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The fire service say that smoke alarms in the house did not work.

Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and a positive pressure ventilation fan put out the fire.

The shower unit was heavily damaged while the first floor of the house has been left damaged by heat and smoke while there was also some damage to the ground floor.

A spokeswoman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters from Farringdon were called to a house fire in Claxheugh Road in South Hylton arriving at 12.15pm today.

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"The fire was in the bathroom of the house and believed to be caused by an electrical fault with the shower.

"The occupier managed to escape the house prior to our arrival. Unfortunately the smoke alarms in the property did not work.

"The shower unit suffered 90% damage and the first floor had 50% damage from heat and smoke.

"The ground floor of the home suffered 10% damage.

"We would like to urge everyone to ensure they test their smoke alarms at least once a week.

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"You should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home.

"In the event of a fire we would also remind people to close doors to stop the spread of flames and smoke."

The service added that home safety advice is available at https://www.twfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/home/prevent/