Firefighters are once again warning of the importance of taking care with electrical items after a family of five had a lucky escape from a fire at their property in Flintshire.

The warning comes just over a month after two men lost their lives in a fire in Llanrwst, which is thought to have started in a tumble dryer, and a week after North Wales Fire and Rescue Service supported a nationwide Electrical Safety Week initiative to warn residents of the potential dangers of electrical fires as one of the biggest causes of accidental house fires in the country.

Two fire appliances from Deeside were mobilised to the incident on Sealand Avenue in Garden City at 00.43hrs in the early hours of Wednesday morning (19^th November). Crews used a hose reel jet and four sets of breathing apparatus in tackling the incident.

A 43 year old woman and her four children - 16 year old daughter, 12 and 10 year old sons and 6 month old baby boy - were taken to hospital for treatment and precautionary checks for smoke inhalation.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in a dishwasher and damage was confined to the kitchen.

Chris Nott, Community Safety Manager, said: "This family were extremely lucky. Thanks to the activation of a smoke alarm the occupants were able to escape relatively unharmed and firefighter attendance was timely such that any further damage could be prevented.

"Electrical fires present a real risk to homeowners, often resulting in significant damage to property and sometimes with the most tragic consequences, as we have witnessed recently in Llanrwst.

"The majority of electrical fires are caused by misuse of the electrical items. It's important to operate appliances according to the manufacturers' instructions and to check items and leads for signs of damage or wear. So many residents use old or dangerous electrical items and overload their sockets, causing a potentially fatal fire risk.

"Remember, it is important to switch off all appliances before you go to bed - if a fire starts when you are asleep you may never wake up.

"Electrical fires can happen to anyone, anywhere so our advice is to get prepared and stay safe - follow the tips on our website to avoid unnecessary risk.

"Smoke alarms are the single most effective step that anyone can take to protect themselves from fire in the home - yet it is still a fact that around 20% of incidents we are called to reveal homes that do not have a working smoke alarm."

For a free home fire safety check, where new smoke alarms will be fitted where needed totally free of charge, please call the 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234, or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk.