Tumble dryer destroyed in blaze

Fire crews were called to a detached house in Appley Bridge at around 12.45pm on Saturday.

They found the tumble dryer had caught fire and the resulting blaze had destroyed the appliance while filling the garage with smoke.

However, the dryer was not one of the makes which are currently at the centre of a safety row and which are having to be looked at by engineers.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus tackled the flames before using a fan to clear the garage and remove some smoke which had drifted through a door into the house.

Firefighter Andy Critchley said: “The cause of the fire was the dryer itself but the fuse box had also burnt through so the electricity board had to come to sort the electrics out.

“The garage was badly smoke damaged and there was some light smoke damage downstairs in the house, though not a lot.

“The owner went online and entered the serial number in and it wasn’t one of the makes currently subject to the safety concerns.”

More than 100 makes of tumbledryer by Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda are involved in the safety alert around possible increased fire risks.

The incident took place at a property on a housing estate j

ust off Miles Lane and lasted around an hour.

Two fire engines from Wigan fire station attended and the crews removed the tumble dryer from the property and waited with the homeowner for Electricity North West to arrive once the blaze was out.