A family of four are lucky to be alive after their dishwasher burst into flames in the middle of the night.
Simone, a mother of two from the United States, charged the kitchen appliance on the night of August 7 and turned it on before going to bed.
What she didn’t know was that at 1.25am the dishwasher was on fire and started burning down the kitchen before the smoke detector went off, waking the family.
Fortunately, they managed to evacuate to a safe place and firefighters quickly arrived to extinguish the flames.
“We are devastated. Please pray for my family. Check your smoke detectors. Don’t turn on appliances at night. It’s not worth the risk,” Simone warned, posting a message on her Twitter account. video.
The fire caused thousands of dollars in damage and destroyed the kitchen, forcing the family to find another place to live for up to six months while cleanup, restoration and renovation work is carried out.
Although the couple has home insurance, it does not cover all costs and they must shell out more than $3,500 along with additional moving fees.
Running the dishwasher overnight is a common mistake in households around the world and most are probably unaware of the risks.
Running the dishwasher at night is a common mistake in homes around the world, but it poses a risk of fire. This is what happened to an American family whose dishwasher caught fire while they were sleeping (pictured)
The fire at Simone’s house serves as a warning to other households to use the dishwasher only during the day while they are at home.
Since dishwashers generate heat during operation, it is best to keep an eye on the appliance to minimize the risk of fire.
This also applies to dryers and washing machines for the same reason.
Simone’s video has since been viewed more than 1.7 million times and hundreds of people have thanked her for sharing the warning.
TO A GoFundMe page was also created To support the family financially.
“I run the dishwasher every night and will never do that again,” one commented.
“I didn’t even know this was possible. I’ve never had any problems,” said another.
“My mother always told me to never leave the house or go to sleep with an appliance on. Thank you for sharing and I’m so sorry for your loss,” added a third.
“I live in an apartment and it’s scary to think how many of my neighbors probably run appliances at night while they’re not home,” another person wrote.
“Thanks to your video, I was finally able to replace the batteries in my smoke detector, something I had been putting off for a few days. So thank you,” wrote another.
“I thought slow cookers were safe until one night, as the cooker was finishing up, I heard a lot of popping and sizzling noises coming from the unit. I unplugged it and went to look for the insert. The insert had literally snapped off,” another added.