Shropshire firefighters called to 340 blazes involving white goods
Household goods including washing machines, tumble dryers and toasters were the cause of firefighters being called out to more than 340 blazes in Shropshire over two years.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were called out 348 times to such fires between April 2014 and March this year, new figures show.
There were 276 call-outs to fires involving cooking appliances over the two years.
Blazes involving washing machines in the county stood at 23, while there were 31 fires involving tumble dryers.
Six fires involved fridge freezers, eight involved dish washers and four call-outs were because of spin dryer fires.
On more than 80 occasions, the fires were caused by faulty equipment, a faulty appliance or a faulty fuel supply.
Other fires were caused by cookers and tumble dryers overheating, equipment not being used properly or while people were cooking.
Accumulation of flammable material in tumble dryers, grills and cookers accounted for five fires over the two-year period.
People being stood too closely to cookers accounted for three of the fires.
None of the fires involving white goods resulted in any fatalities.
The information was revealed by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service following a freedom of information request.
It comes after householders in the county were warned of the dangers that washing machines and dryers can pose earlier this year – following a spate of "freak" fires caused by faulty white goods.
