2 days ago
I'm homeless after my VACUUM set on fire while I was at work – my whole house is destroyed, don't make my mistake
A WOMAN has been left devastated after her vacuum cleaner set fire and destroyed her home.
Tanya Bennett was at work when the appliance set ablaze after she left it plugged in for 18 hours.
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The 36-year-old's neighbour alerted her and the fire brigade to the casualty on Monday (9th June), where Tanya's three dogs were trapped inside.
Every room in the house has been damaged, apart from the kitchen, leaving Tanya homeless and in temporary accommodation.
Thankfully, Tanya's French Bulldogs, Lewi and Monkey, and Cockapoo, Luna, were rescued from the burning building.
'I'm absolutely devastated, helpless and in shock,' Tanya, from Telford, Shropshire, told NeedToKnow.
'I couldn't believe it when the firefighters said it was caused by the vacuum cleaner.
'I'm now homeless and my dogs have had to go to my friend's house as I can't keep them in my temporary accommodation.
'I'd left the vacuum cleaner plugged into the wall after cleaning the night before.
'I was at work and the neighbour called to say my house was on fire and she'd called the fire brigade.
'When I got home, the firefighters had only recovered one dog as he was in the kitchen which was the only room that wasn't damaged because the door was shut.
'The other two dogs were trapped upstairs by the smoke.
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'It was heartbreaking. I was screaming and crying and they brought the dogs out one by one.
'They were black.'
The vacuum cleaner had been plugged in for 18 hours when it set on fire.
The marketing manager estimates it will cost her thousands to replace all of her furniture and redecorate as the whole house was smoke-damaged.
The 8 fire safety checks you should do in your home every night
TO avoid a devastating fire in your home, there are some checks you should be conducting every night, according to
Close inside doors at night to stop a fire from spreading
Turn off and unplug electrical appliances unless they are designed to be left on – like your freezer.
Check your cooker is turned off
Don't run appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers overnight
Turn heaters off and put up fireguards
Put candles and cigarettes out properly
Make sure exits are kept clear
Keep door and window keys where everyone can find them
Tanya said: 'It's thick and black . All the furniture is covered in soot, the TV cabinet is melted and all of my drawers of clothes are covered in soot.
'Basically, every single item in my house is covered by smoke.
'There's not one single item that is not.
'I need to replace everything and it will cost thousands.
'The whole house needs specialist cleaning and I can't go in without PPE.'
With the house now completely uninhabitable, Tanya is living in temporary accommodation and doesn't know when she'll be able to go home.
Tanya added: 'I didn't think that a vacuum cleaner could even catch fire. How much damage it's caused is crazy.
'Apparently, the dust particles inside are very combustible."
Tanya urged everyone to unplug the appliance to not risk any incidents.
She added: 'Just turn everything off at the wall or unplug appliances.
'Even though the electrics tripped and cut off it didn't matter as the fire still continued once it had sparked.'
