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Neighbour saves family from devastating dryer fire

BBC Fire damage at Rooke family homeBBC
The house suffered extensive fire damage both inside and out

A family have recalled how a neighbour saved their lives from a devastating tumble dryer fire while they were sitting in the living room.

Paul and Tanya Rooke from Buckley, Flintshire, were at home on 3 March with their children Ruby, 13, and Harry, 11, when the fire broke out.

But the family only realised when a neighbour messaged them after seeing flames in their kitchen.

It’s one of three major fires started by tumble dryers in north Wales within a two week period.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the fires highlighted the importance of having working smoke alarms.

Paul and Tanya Rooke
Paul and Tanya Rooke say they've been left "absolutely devastated" by the fire

NHS administrator Tanya Rooke, 42, said her postal worker husband Paul, 46, had checked the tumble dryer - which had been running normally - five minutes before they knew of the fire.

“I got a message off the neighbour that lives at the back asking if our kitchen was okay because it looked like there were flames,” she said.

“We just got everyone out. We didn't have anything on our feet. Paul and I still had our socks on, but our children had just got out the shower. They were ready for bed with school the next day.”

The tumble dryer where the fire began
The tumble dryer where the fire began

'Saved our lives'

The Rooke family are staying with Tanya’s father nearby and have been told that their house suffered 50% fire damage, 100% smoke damage and 40% exterior damage.

A family friend has set up an online fundraiser for the family.

Tanya said: “I have to say thank you to absolutely everybody that has shown us support. I want to thank the fire service as well and especially our neighbour who basically saved our lives.”

Tanya Rooke Fire damage in kitchenTanya Rooke
Tanya Rooke says their "lovely family home has gone"

North Wales fire service said it tackled tumble dryer fires in Ruthin and Denbigh in the same two week period as the Buckley fire. There were no reported injuries.

The fire service's safety recommendations include:

  • Don’t overload plug sockets - a tumble dryer needs its own 13 amp socket
  • Don’t leave appliances unattended
  • Always allow each drying programme to complete fully before emptying the machine
Tanya Rooke Fire damage in living roomTanya Rooke
Tanya Rooke said "it all hurts" after losing their home in the fire

It is not yet known how the fire in the family's dryer started.

The Rooke family said they cleaned fluff from the dryer’s filter after each cycle and always used the appliance carefully.

Tanya said: “The amount of people that we've spoken to who say they go to bed and leave it on or go out of the house. Don't do that. We were in the house. It was cleaned on a regular basis and it still happened to us.”