Drama as electric socket bursts in flames in new home on Milton Keynes estate

Eight firefighters and two fire engines rushed to Devereux Court on the Wavendon estate shortly after 8am on Tuesday April 15.

They found a socket on the ground floor of the three storey house was alight.

The crews used two breathing apparatus sets, a hose reel jet and a ventilation fan to tackle the fire and smoke. They then isolated the electrics and carried out a home fire safety check on the property.

An electric socket can catch fire due to several factors, primarily involving overheating and potential for arcing or short-circuiting. Overloaded sockets and extension leads, faulty wiring and high power appliances are common culprits.

Over half of all accidental house fires are caused by electricity, with faulty electrics causing around four thousand fires in the home each year. Nine out of ten electrical fires are caused by electrical products.

Bucks Fire and Rescue experts advise people to check regularly for danger signs such as a smell of hot plastic or burning, sparks or smoke coming from a plug, scorch marks around a plug, damaged or frayed cables, exposed electrical wires or fuses that blow circuit breakers for no obvious reason,

You can check the rating of any appliances you wish to plug into an extension lead by using the socket overload calculator here.

A Bucks Fire spokesperson said: “Ensure you have working smoke alarms on each level of your home and test them every month.”