The Items Firefighters Say To Keep Off Windowsills In Summer

Parts of the UK seem set for their fifth heatwave of the year, with no significant rainfall set to take place in parts of the south this month.

Claire Belcher, an Exeter University professor, told the BBC the risk of wildfires has “never been so high”. And firefighters warn that the risk of house fires rises in drier, sunnier conditions, too.

Speaking to the MK Citizen after a run of “near disasters” in Milton Keynes, a spokesperson for Bucks Fire and Rescue said: “As the bright weather continues, we’d like to remind everyone of an often unconsidered fire risk within homes.”

Multiple windowsill fires have broken out over the years due to glass items left in direct sunlight.

They’ve created blazes in places like Essex, Northamptonshire, Dorset and Wiltshire, Norfolk, Merseyside, Milton Keynes, and more.

The Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “Recent incidents have highlighted that reflected sunlight can become concentrated enough to generate significant heat, resulting in marks, smouldering materials and, in some cases, fire.”

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said to keep crystals; mirrors, especially magnifying ones; and glass ornaments off windowsills and out of direct sunlight in the summer.

The firefighters added you shouldn’t keep them near curtains or bedsheets in the heat either.

Other risky items include:

In general, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue explained, any glass ornament or object that’s curved can work as a lens, intensifying the sun’s heat.

“The principle is the same as using a magnifying glass to start a fire. It does depend on the angle of the sun, but any mirror or glass ornament with a curve in it should never be left on a windowsill or by a window,” their site reads.

A Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesperson added: “If you notice a bright spot of reflected sunlight inside your home, move the object immediately or close curtains or blinds.

“Check around windows regularly to ensure decorative items are not creating focused beams of light.”