OXFORDSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has issued a strong warning about electric blanket safety after an 82-year-old woman went up to bed only to discover it was on fire.

The pensioner in Horspath, just outside Oxford, was going to call it a night at 10.20pm on Thursday but when she walked upstairs she discovered smoke pouring out of her bedroom.

Thinking quickly, she called 999 and escaped the house before she was overcome by the fumes.

Firefighters from Rewley Road station in Oxford raced to the scene then had to don special breathing apparatus before braving the smoke-filled home to extinguish the bedroom blaze.

It was only after the flames were doused the crews were able to trace the cause of the fire: a faulty electric blanket.

Oxford Mail:

They also discovered that her smoke alarm, although it was working perfectly, was not installed in the right part of the house to have given her an early warning of the fire.

The fire service has urged people to take extra care when using portable electrical heating devices during cold weather.

It recommends that electric heating devices are not used overnight and only turned on when they can be monitored.

Incident commander on Thursday Paul Webster said: "This lady was very lucky as the smoke alarm in the property had not raised the alarm."