A mum has warned others to get their electrical appliances checked out ahead of time after her home was destroyed in a tumble dryer blaze.

Kelly Feaviour, 42, was devastated when her family “lost everything” in the October fire, forcing them to move out of the council-owned property in Leeds..

Kelly, who lives with husband Matthew, 44, and her three children aged 19, 16, and 12, says the family have been living in a hotel since the fire.

Kelly’s local council confirmed the fire was caused by a tumble dryer and said alternative accommodation had been offered.

The mum-of-three said: “We’ve lost everything, and we can’t get in our house for months. I feel distraught. I’m at my lowest point but I’m happy we all survived and we didn’t get hurt.”

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She added: “I know it’s only material stuff, but I have three children with disabilities. It’s very hard to know that you’ve lost everything, and the children have lost everything. They can’t even have Christmas in their house because of the fire – it’s not fair.”

The fire tore through the family home on October 19 after Kelly put a load of washing in her new tumble dryer before heading out.

The machine went up in flames while left unattended. Thankfully, a neighbour spotted the flames and rushed over to ensure everyone left the home.

Kelly’s 19-year-old son was still inside the house at the time but made it outside with no injuries. The fire service was able to stop the blaze.

But as a result of the fire, Kelly said the whole property has smoke damage and blames a faulty trip switch for not preventing the surge. The council said there was “no evidence that faulty electrical installation contributed to the fire”.

Kelly is now warning other tenants to get their electrics checked out as she says her family is going to miss out on Christmas due to the fire. Kelly said: “I’d put the tumble dryer on for 10 minutes and gone out – within 20 minutes I got a phone call from my son screaming down the phone to get home because the shed was on fire.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “Following a full investigation, the cause of the fire at the property was identified to be the tumble dryer, there was no evidence that faulty electrical installation contributed to the fire. The council identified a hotel for Ms Feaviour and her family and had arranged to pay for accommodation while repairs were taking place, this offer remains in place.”

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Don’t overload your tumble dryer – as well as your clothes taking much longer to dry and costing you more money, overloading can cause a fire risk; the element at the back of the tumble dryer can cause the clothing to overheat and combust.”

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