Sunlight reflecting from mirror sparks house fire

DAMAGE: A fire officer in the blackened room . Picture: Dorset Fire & Rescue Service DAMAGE: A fire officer in the blackened room . Picture: Dorset Fire & Rescue Service

SUNLIGHT reflecting off a mirror on a bedroom windowsill sparked a house fire yesterday.

A hessian chair and some curtains caught fire in the incident at Corfe Castle , leaving the first floor room badly smoke damaged.

Two crews of firefighters from Swanage spent around 50 minutes using breathing apparatus and one hose reel jet to fight the flames.

The alarm was raised at around 1.20pm.

Station manager Dave Arundel, who attended the scene, said: “Although fires started in this way are unusual, they can occur.

“This should act as a warning to all homeowners.

“The occupant, who was in the garden at the time, was alerted to this fire by their smoke alarm.

He added: “A working smoke alarm will not stop fires from starting, but they do provide an early warning.

“All homes should have a working smoke alarm, which is tested weekly.”

Comments(1)

elite50 says...
10:54am Tue 24 Jul 12

It must have been a parabolic mirror because if it was simple reflection the sunlight would have started the fire as it came through the window.
This is Dorset, not the Sahara!

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