Dog Turns on Microwave in British Home, Sparking Kitchen Fire

A dog in Britain is lucky to be alive after it managed to turn on a microwave and spark a kitchen fire while its owner was away, fire officials in Essex County said.

"Clearly this is a very strange incident involving the man's dog, but it could still have been more serious," Geoff Wheal, Watch Manager at Corringham Fire Station said.

According to a statement from the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, the husky inside the home located in Stanford-Le-Hope "inadvertently turned on the appliance" while a packet of bread rolls were inside the device, causing them to catch fire Monday afternoon.

"When we arrived, the kitchen was filled with smoke. Firefighters ensured that the damage did not spread beyond the kitchen area - but it demonstrates that microwaves shouldn't be used to store food when they aren't in use," Wheal said.

The homeowner, who was not at his two-story home, reportedly noticed the smoke through a camera feed to his cell phone and called the department to put it out, the fire service stated.

"Our advice is to always keep your microwave clean and free of clutter or food and any packaging. Animals or children can turn them on more easily than you might think - so please don't run the risk."

Fortunately, neither the dog nor the owner was harmed in the incident.


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