An expecting mother and her child were led to safety after a fire at their Weymouth home in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The woman needed hospital treatment after an electrical fault sparked a blaze in the washing machine at a flat in Chapelhay.
Fire chiefs have warned about the dangers of overloading washing machines.
Dorset Fire and Rescue Service manager John Mullins said: “The washing machine had been overloaded and the resulting strain on the motor had caused it to literally ‘go bang.’ “Although we obviously send out the message not to overload your machines, full credit to the occupant of the flat who immediately turned off the electric and gas and called us out.”
Two crews were alerted at 2.10am on Tuesday when the occupant was awoken by a bang and the smell of smoke.
Firefighters arrived in four minutes and led the woman and her child to safety and left her in the care of paramedics.
An engineer has been requested to inspect the area.
The woman has been treated in Dorset County Hospital, for mild smoke inhalation and burns to her throat.