Mum details horror moment she discovered her baby’s room was on fire after she heard coughing
Mom talks about the horror moment when she discovered her baby’s room was on fire with the baby in it – as others warn of the dangers of the common household item that started the fire
- Mae Short felt ‘utter panic’ when she heard 17-month-old Margot cough
- Fire short-circuited their home’s electricity supply and shut off the baby monitor
- A fire inspector said it was ‘so close to tragedy’
One mother has described the horrific moment when she realized her 17-month-old daughter’s room was on fire with the baby inside.
The fire started in the early hours of Friday at Mae Short’s home in Manly, Sydney.
The mother of two said an electrical panel in baby Margot’s room caught fire, short-circuiting their home’s electricity supply and turning off the baby monitor.
Ms. Short felt “real and utter panic” when she heard Margot cough and realized what had happened.
Mae Short and her 17-month-old baby Margot look at the damage caused by an overloaded power board
“Her room was just full of smoke, like soot, it was really thick. I couldn’t see her, or couldn’t see anything there,” she said Channel 9†
“She was covered in soot and her pacifier (was), all over her, her clothes.”
Ms. Short wants to warn others of the dangers that are all too easy to deal with electrical appliances.
Items such as heaters consume a lot of wattage and can cause power boards to overload.
“I already had an idea in my head that it wasn’t good to put too many things on it, so I thought I’d go get a good idea,” said Ms. Short.
But, as she now realizes, having a heater on a power board can lead to overload, no matter how good it is.
NSW Fire and Rescue Chief Inspector Adam Dewberry said the family was lucky.
“Honestly, it shook me up a bit because this was so, so close to tragedy,” he said.
Mae Short and her daughter Margot (pictured) had a happy escape when an overloaded electricity board caught fire in the baby’s room
The damage was caused in baby Margot’s room (pictured), short-circuiting their home’s electricity supply and turning off the baby monitor