Sheffield student’s bedroom bursts into flames after a MIRROR set their chair on fire

This Sheffield home was damaged in a freak fire caused by an everyday object.
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Firefighters were called on Thursday, September 17, shortly after 3pm, to tackle the blaze at a student house on Walton Road in Broomhall.

Thankfully the flames were quickly extinguished and only a chair and desk were seriously damaged on this occasion, but the circumstances prompted a warning which we would all do well to heed.

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Damage caused by a fire at a Sheffield house which started when a mirror magnified the sun's raysDamage caused by a fire at a Sheffield house which started when a mirror magnified the sun's rays
Damage caused by a fire at a Sheffield house which started when a mirror magnified the sun's rays
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South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue shared a photo of the aftermath and asked people to guess how the blaze had started.

Several people plumped for hair straighteners being the culprit, with a phone charger and incense burners among the other choices as scores of Twitter users joined the discussion.

But most observers correctly twigged that it was a mirror on the desk which had magnified the sun’s rays streaming through the window and set the chair alight that afternoon.

Thankfully on this occasion only the desk and chair at the student house in Sheffield were badly damagedThankfully on this occasion only the desk and chair at the student house in Sheffield were badly damaged
Thankfully on this occasion only the desk and chair at the student house in Sheffield were badly damaged

A spokesman for the fire service said: “This was a very unique cause which had quite the reaction!

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“Generally these fires are quite rare but they do occur every now and again, with loads of examples right across the country over the years.

"Essentially, people need to be mindful of where they’re putting magnifying objects such as mirrors, glass ornaments, magnifying glasses, etc. They shouldn’t be placed on or near windowsills where they are likely to magnify rays from the sun.”

Anything which can concentrate the sun’s rays should be kept away from windows to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out, with items ranging from a goldfish bowl to a glass of water having started blazes.