A mum has warned other people to get their electrical appliances checked - after her home was ruined by a tumble dryer blaze.<br /><br />Kelly Feaviour, 42, says her family "lost everything" in the October fire and have had to move out of their council-owned property.<br /><br />Kelly, husband Matthew, 44, and her three children aged 19, 16, and 12 have been living in a hotel since, she says.<br /><br />This means they haven't had a home-cooked meal in a month - and are living out of suitcases.<br /><br />Kelly's local council confirmed the fire was caused by a tumble dryer and said alternative accommodation had been offered.<br /><br />The mum-of-three, from Bramham, West Yorks., said: "We’ve lost everything, and we can’t get in our house for months. <br /><br />“I feel distraught. I’m at my lowest point but I’m happy we all survived and we didn’t get hurt. <br /><br />“I know it's only material stuff, but I have three children with disabilities.<br /><br />"It’s very hard to know that you’ve lost everything, and the children have lost everything. <br /><br />“They can't even have Christmas in their house because of the fire - it's not fair.” <br /><br />The fire started on October 19 when Kelly put a load of washing in her new tumble dryer before heading out. <br /><br />The machine, which Kelly had purchased just weeks prior, went up in flames while it was left unattended. <br /><br />Luckily, her neighbor spotted the blaze and rushed over to check no one was in - alerting Kelly's 19-year-old son to the fire who was in the house at the time. <br /><br />Thankfully, no one was hurt and fire service were able to stop the blaze.<br /><br />But now Kelly says her entire home has been smoke damaged, and the outhouse containing the tumble drier is badly scorched from the flames. <br /><br />Leeds city council confirmed the blaze was started by the tumble dryer.<br /><br />But Kelly claims the trip switch should have prevented a surge – and says the electrician who investigated after the incident said it hadn’t worked on that occasion.<br /><br />The council said there was "no evidence that faulty electrical installation contributed to the fire".<br /><br />Kelly is now warning other tenants to get their electrics checked out as she says her family are going to miss out on Christmas due to the fire. <br /><br />Kelly said: “I’d put the tumble dryer on for 10 minutes and gone out - within 20 minutes I got a phone call from my son screaming down the phone to get home because the shed was on fire. <br /><br />“The neighbors came running over and banging on the door and luckily my son heard the door.<br /><br />“She managed to get him out, he only had his boxers and dressing gown on. <br /><br />“The fire had come from a brick outhouse and melted my kitchen door, everything in my kitchen was melted. <br /><br />“It went straight through and smoke damaged every single part of my house and left us with nothing. <br /><br />“After the fire, the electrician came out on the same day – he pulled my husband into kitchen, flicked the box up and said he was sorry, but the trip switch didn’t trip. <br /><br />“It’s supposed to stop the fire and stop the electricity running, we probably only would have had a broken dryer if that had tripped."<br /><br />A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Following a full investigation, the cause of the fire at the property was identified to be the tumble dryer, there was no evidence that faulty electrical installation contributed to the fire.<br /><br />“The council identified a hotel for Ms Feaviour and her family and had arranged to pay for accommodation while repairs were taking place, this offer remains in place.”<br /><br />A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Don’t overload your tumble dryer – as well as your clothes taking much longer to dry and costing you more money, overloading can cause a fire risk; the element at the back of the tumble dryer can cause the clothing to overheat and combust."<br /><br />"If you have clothing which has been contaminated with substances such as solvents, grease, oils, or fats, dry them naturally; don’t dry them in your tumble dryer as these substances can all ignite when in contact with extreme heat.<br /><br />"Keep your tumble dryer well-maintained – clean it each time you use it by cleaning and clearing the filters from lint and fluff. <br /><br />"Ensure the machine is well-ventilated, that there are no kinks in the ventilation pipe and that any external vent flap is able to open when the dryer is on. <br /><br />"Don’t use the dryer if it develops scorch marks or you notice any damaged or loose wires.<br /><br />"Remember, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.<br /><br />"We also recommend checking your Fire Alarms/Smoke Detectors."
