There is at least one pet in the doghouse this Christmas weekend.
Fire officials in the United Kingdom said a house caught on fire on Saturday after a dog accidentally activated a hairdryer, the BBC reported.
According to a tweet from Essex Fire Service, crews were called to Hockley at about 6:43 p.m. local time after a dog jumped on a bed and turned on a plugged-in hairdryer. The appliance eventually caught the mattress on fire, causing smoke to billow out of the residence.
A freak accident caused a fire in Hockley today. A dog jumped on a bed and turned a hairdryer on, eventually causing it to catch alight to the mattress.
— Essex Fire Service (@ECFRS) December 24, 2022
Once you've finished with any electrical appliances please unplug them.
Incident details ➡️ https://t.co/BSDEjBN9pO pic.twitter.com/nmoSyAL3si
“The homeowner was out and came back to find her house full of smoke,” Essex Fire Service spokesperson Gary Shinn said in a statement.
The dog was waiting by the front door when the homeowner returned, Sky News reported. The animal and homeowner were both treated for smoke inhalation, according to the news organization.
“Once you’ve finished with any electrical appliances such as hairdryers and straighteners please take a moment to unplug them,” Shinn said. “The homeowner wouldn’t have thought for one moment her dog would turn on the hairdryer, but unplugging something just gives you that peace of mind.”
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