CABL Forum - Street's TV boxes erupted in flames !

A street lit up "like Blackpool Pier" when a series of TV digital boxes simultaneously erupted in flames.
Huge power surges left neighbours stunned as television boxes in Cotswold Close, Washington, began spitting sparks at the same time.

Resident Sharon Stubbs, 37, was out helping her panic-stricken neighbour whose front room had caught fire – when a blaze broke out in her own house.

The mum-of-two said: "I'd been upstairs when I started to smell something strange, like burning in the house. I checked all around, but couldn't see anything.

"Just at that point my neighbour, Jackie Spence, came running in shouting her house was on fire."

"Me and my sister-in-law rushed around there to see what was happening, calm her down and called the fire brigade.

"When the fire brigade turned up the neighbour on the other side came out to see what was going on."

Sharon, whose husband Darren, 37, and sons Ryan, 13 and Matthew, 10, were out at the time, said when they told him Jackie's digital television box had caught fire, he said his had also just erupted in sparks.

Sharon added: "I then realised there was a problem with the electricity, so I sent my sister-in-law into my house to turn the electricity off. She came running out saying my house was one fire, so the firemen had to go in there too and put it out."

Firefighters then went around all the houses telling people to unplug electrical items after another neighbour injured his hand on the digital box wire because it had become so hot.

Sharon said: "It was such a commotion, looking back the firemen must have thought it was like a carry on film. The power was so strong one minute the houses were lit up like Blackpool pier and the next they were dim like candle light."

She said it was about 7.10pm on Friday night when they called the fire brigade and NEDL managed to sort the problem out by about 11pm.

Sharon said: "We were so lucky it didn't happen a few hours later when everyone in the street was in bed. I hate to think how bad it could have been."

Despite the damage to Sharon and Jackie's house, the neighbours say they have all received letters from NEDL saying the problem had been out of their control and the families would have to claim on their insurance.

Sharon says her flooring in the living room will need replacing and Jackie's home has been worse hit and will need replastering and redecorating.

Kevin Spence, 58, said he was at work when he got a call from his wife Jackie telling him about the blaze.

"Luckily she was in the house at the time, but if she'd been late in from work the whole house could have burnt to the ground," said the machine operator. "She managed to move the TV and the curtains out the way and then the fire brigade arrived.

"I've no idea how this happened. The boxes on the wall are completely blown out and the house stinks of smoke. The TV wasn't even switched on at the time."

Neighbour Donna Elstob said her five-year-old daughter Demi Mackell was watching TV when the box started "giving off sparks".

"I was in the bath when I heard her shouting that it was giving off sparks," said Donna. "I came running in, but luckily my partner had put it out. She was absolutely hysterical and won't even sit in the front room on her own now.

"I'm just relieved we were in at the time and managed to put it out. It's a three storey house, so if we'd been asleep upstairs when it happened it could have spread. It would have been impossible to get out."

LINK - http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Street39s-TV-boxes-erupted-in.3844143.jp

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Street's TV boxes erupted in flames !