A WOMAN whose home was damaged in a fire that killed her cat said she warned her landlord about problems with its electrics.
As reported in the Daily Echo, Sharon Heanes, 49, returned to her Troak Close house in Somerford last Friday night to find her kitchen on fire.
Sovereign Twynham housing said it was supporting Sharon but had no record of her reporting problems.
The blaze, which Dorset Fire and Rescue Service suspected was due to an electrical fault and was believed to have started in a tumble dryer, left the downstairs of her home badly smoke damaged and uninhabitable. She is now staying with family.
Sharon said: “I’ve had problems with my electrics for ages. It’s often when I’ve used my iron or kettle it shorts out and lights go off.
“I’ve spoken to Twynham before about the electrics but nothing has been done about it. Nobody has ever been around to look at the electrics.”
She said all her appliances were off at the time of the fire as she was visiting her daughter.
The alarm was raised by neighbour Terena Tuvey and firefighters from Christchurch and Springbourne were called to fight the flames, which killed Sharon’s cat.
A spokesman for Sovereign Twynham said: “Sovereign is supporting the resident at this difficult time, including finding her temporary accommodation.
“We have no record of the resident reporting any problems with the electrics in her home. We have been in touch with her since the fire and she is unable to tell us when she contacted us.”
The housing association said Sharon’s kitchen was refurbished in July 2010 and an electrical safety certificate was produced at the time.
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