Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a safety warning after a pensioner died in a house fire caused by a faulty electric blanket. The authority said Eric Unwin, 91, died from smoke inhalation at his home in Greenholme Close, Kirkby-in-Ashfield on March 19.
Due to the intensity of the fire, crews initially fought the blaze from the outside but entered the house soon after where they located Mr Unwin in the lounge. Firefighters carried Mr Unwin out of the house and he was given CPR, but was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A subsequent post mortem concluded his cause of death as smoke inhalation as a result of the fire. At an inquest, senior coroner for Nottinghamshire, Mairin Casey, heard how Mr Unwin had several old electrical items in his house, with his nighttime routine including using an electric radiator and blanket overnight.
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He was also found to be using block plug adapters and daisy chaining, where extension leads are plugged into each other. Both practices can overload the electrics, cause overheating and result in fire.
A fire investigation concluded that the fire had started in the bedroom and spread to the whole bungalow. It was caused by a defective electric blanket.
Group Manager Chris Emmott said: “Our thoughts go out to the family of Mr Unwin, and we send our condolences to them on their loss. With the winter months now here, more people will be using electric blankets and heaters so we would like to remind people of how to use these safely.
“You should not use an electric blanket or heater overnight and unplug them from the wall before you go to sleep. If you need to store an electric blanket, do not fold it as this can damage the cables but roll it up instead. Always buy electrical products from a reputable manufacturer with a Kitemark electrical safety marking and if you think they are damaged then please don’t use them."
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