Tumble dryer fire: Denbigh bride-to-be devastated by blaze

When Emma Vaughan left for work after turning off her tumble dryer, she had no idea she would return to a blazing fire.

The fire service told her this was the third fire in two weeks caused by a tumble dryer in the area.

Ms Vaughan, 49, from Denbigh, in Denbighshire, is to be married in two weeks and said the community support has been "overwhelming".

A product safety engineer said the lint filter should be cleared regularly.

On Wednesday morning the mother of two left the house having turned off the tumble dryer and opened the door to let it cool.

However, just over an hour later she received a call to say her house was on fire.

"I was just in disbelief," she said.

The tumble dryer had caught alight and the utility room it was in had reached temperatures of 300C (572F).

Fortunately she said, the door was closed, meaning the other rooms were not ablaze, however they have been destroyed by the smoke.

"It's just devastating."

She said when the fire was put out and she could enter the house safely, she was "stunned".

"I actually thought that the fire had got through to the main living area because I couldn't comprehend that there was that much damage with no fire in the room."

"The smell is beyond," she said. "The windows have melted in the heat in rooms that were saved from fire."

She said they have lost many sentimental items..

"We are due to get married in two weeks," she said.

She and fiancé Euros Jones had planned to have their wedding party in their home, but now that is not an option.

Neighbours have offered to put up marquees in their gardens to help out on their special day.

"It's been an emotional week, it's been a learning curve and I think more than anything else the level of support and the love has probably been the most overwhelming thing."

Ms Vaughan said she will be taking fire service advice always to close doors at night and have a planned escape route.

She also said she "wouldn't ever have a tumble dryer again" after her experience.

"What I did that day, I've done many times just before I've gone to bed that night - our bedroom was directly above the fire and we're very lucky it didn't go through that floor."

The family will be staying in temporary accommodation until the house is restored, and it will be several months before they can return home.

Guiseppe Capanna, a product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast tumble dryer owners should always make sure their machines are not subject to a recall.

He said this can either be done on websites of the government, manufacturer or Electrical Safety First.

Mr Capanna said: "It's really important that every time you use [the tumble dryer] you clear out the lint filter."

He added that as there were three different types of tumble dryer, it was essential to follow the maintenance regime as often machines had two lint filters that need cleaning out.

He said the lint was harmless in the filter, but "if it's not emptied it can get into other parts of the machine", like the motor which is what "causes some of these fires".