05 Jul 2012
Fire crews had to deal with a blaze at a care home in Surrey after an electric blanket caught fire in a first-floor flat.
The incident occurred at the sheltered housing accommodation in Gunters Mead in Oxshott when the electric blanket was left unattended and hanging over a chair on 23 June and three residents had to be rescued from the nearby landing.
It is the second fire at sheltered accommodation in Surrey in the last nine months, after one resident died at a previous blaze at Gibson Court, and a spokesman from Esher fire station confirmed that an electric blanket caused the latest incident.
Care homes have to have regular fire risk assessments to satisfy the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Responsible Person can be subject to an unlimited fine and even a prison sentence of up to two years if there is a problem.
Copyright Press Association 2012