A Darlington resident is hoping to raise awareness after a fire he believes was caused by a faulty phone charger gutted his living room in just seven minutes and destroyed precious family heirlooms.
The resident, who lives in the Yarm Road area of Darlington, fell asleep on February 13 and woke up before midnight to a blaze engulfing his home and quickly alerted emergency services who rushed to the scene.
Multiple firefighters from County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service tackled the flames and took one hour to extinguish it.
Following the ordeal, he believes the blaze was caused by a faulty phone cable which he bought at a corner shop just hours earlier – as an investigation by the fire service continues.
He said: “I went home at around 4pm and my charger broke – I was on 3% battery. I decided to buy one for my local corner shop for about £3.99.
“I had my dinner, unplugged my phone, and went to sleep on the sofa. The damage that is pictured took just 7 minutes.
“I went in again yesterday, the only thing I could salvage was some kitchen stuff, the rest has just been destroyed because of a phone charger.
“I didn’t hear the fire alarm. I usually do go around every night and turn off all the sockets, but I was just so tired that I didn’t – and then I think that caused the fire.”
Despite this devastating experience, the resident shared the photos on social media in a bid to raise awareness and fire safety.
He said: “It really does make you think – kids leave phone chargers on overnight and they go to sleep with them on their pillows.
“I want to raise awareness about this – this is what can happen to you in a split second. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
“There are heirlooms that I cannot get back – I can replace everything else but those have been lost forever. Personal stuff and memories; I just cannot get back.”
Now, he also believes that more should be done to test products like this and make sure they are safe for use.
He said: “I think things like this do need more action. You see similar things happening with e-bikes and e-scooters.
“There should be more rigorous testing for these products – it has to change. Luckily, I’m still here.
“I didn’t have a lot, but I had my home, and I spent a lot of money on it. But, I also spent money on that cheap phone charger and I really wish I hadn’t.”
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A spokesperson from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) said: “Shortly after 11.45pm on Tuesday (February 13) night, we were alerted to a fire within a flat in Darlington.
“Within four minutes of the phone call, two appliances were at the scene.
“On arrival, the occupant of the premises had safely removed themselves from the property – thanks to their working smoke alarms - leaving the door open for firefighters to access the property.
“Firefighters, using breathing apparatus and hose reels, successfully extinguished the blaze within one hour.
“An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.”
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