Cambridgeshire house fire sparks reminder of dangers of mirrors in sunlight

Yesterday’s (Tuesday April 18) fire at a two-storey property in High Street, Balsham, caused extensive smoke damage to the upstairs floor.

Watch Commander Richard Powell said: “There was a mirror in the room where the fire started that was facing towards the window. The sun was beating through the window and bounced off the mirror which set fire to the curtains.”

Firefighters used the Multistar to access the fire in the roof. Crews wearing specialist breathing apparatus used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the smoke and returned to their stations an hour later.

Yesterday’s incident follows a similar incident back in January where a vanity mirror left on the windowsill of a dressing room in Witchford set fire to two wooden jewellery boxes. The fire then spread to the windowsill and smashed the glass.

Head of Community Fire Safety Group Commander Kevin Napier said: “As the warmer weather starts to appear and we are experiencing longer summer days, please ensure that reflective everyday objects in your home are not left in direct sunlight – especially during the day when you may be out and therefore unable to react to any incident until it has progressed significantly and caused a fire.”