Mum's terrifying ordeal sparks warning over common household habit: 'Not worth the risk'
Many Aussies choose to run their dishwasher at night as it's often cheaper, but mum-of-two Simone Anderson is warning against it.
A mum of two has warned against a common household habit after waking to find her home on fire. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Simone Anderson said she put on her dishwasher before bed one night last week, "like I always do", but this time, within an hour she "heard the fire alarm going off downstairs".
"I immediately woke up my husband who ran downstairs to investigate and he found our entire dishwasher engulfed in flames and the house quickly filling with smoke," she said. "He ran upstairs to tell me that we needed to get the kids and get out."
Within just minutes, Anderson said "the house was full of smoke" and it wasn't until the firefighters arrived they learned the cause.
"It was an issue deep within the dishwasher, an issue we wouldn’t have known about because you couldn’t see it," she told Yahoo. "Our dishwasher was here when we bought this house, we thought it was new but with research have learned it was about 10 years old."
Warning against running dishwashers at night
It's understood wiring problems, control panel malfunctions, and overheating can all contribute to a fire hazard in dishwashers. These issues often stem from manufacturing defects, wear and tear over time, or even power surges.
Many Aussies choose to run their dishwasher in the evening as, depending on their energy provider, it can be cheaper.
But Anderson said the family is "devastated" and warned against running appliances at night because if they'd been awake they would have likely caught it earlier. "Don’t run appliances at night. It’s not worth the risk," she said.
How common are dishwasher fires in Aussie homes?
While this particular incident occurred in the US, home appliances, including dishwashers and tumble dryers, are a leading cause of house fires in Australia, according to Aussie firies who continuously warn residents to take extra caution in the home.
Earlier this year, a mother from Ipswich, Queensland woke to find her kitchen on fire after her dishwasher caught alight during a late-night wash cycle.
“I turned it on and went upstairs to sleep," Angie Ranae told Courier Mail at the time. "I had been in bed for about 30 minutes before my smoke alarms went off and I rushed downstairs to see thick black smoke.
"When I opened the dishwasher door it burst into flames."
Previously, NSW firefighters attended a home in South Windsor after reports of a fire in the early hours. When arriving, firefighters managed to quickly extinguish the fire, which is believed to have started due to a fault inside a dishwasher.
Aussies warned to remain vigilant around the home
In Australia, 21 people on average die from house fires each year with winter being the "worst time of the year," according to NSW Fire and Rescue. FRNSW attends an average of 1,230 home fires which result in an average of 576 injuries. Half of these fires start in the kitchen, they said, with cooktops and dishwashers mostly being to blame.
FRNSW South-West Zone Commander, Greg Wright, encourages extra caution in the home, particularly when cooking or in the kitchen
"Households can’t afford to take their eye off the ball when it comes to the risk of fires," he said. "Last winter, we had 1,063 residential fires In New South Wales, an increase of 119 on 2022. "
Eight people lost their lives and 115 others were injured. "Human activity accounted for 557 of those blazes," he added.
Residents should ensure they have at least one working smoke alarm installed in their homes at all times.
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