THE fire service has highlighted the importance of households having working smoke detectors after an electric blanket caught fire.

A mattress at a house in the Great Durnford area of the city caught fire on Wednesday (September 17) thanks to a faulty electric blanket.

The blanket was switched on and left upstairs while the residents were downstairs.

They were unaware of the fire but were alerted to it thanks to their smoke alarm which started sounding, prompting them to call 999.

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“This early warning meant that the fire was contained to the mattress and bedding, and that the owners were able to leave safely,” a Salisbury Fire Station spokesperson said.

“Had they not had working smoke alarms the fire would have been able to develop undetected and the outcome would have been very different.”

People are asked to check their smoke alarms each week.