Darlington woman finds mirror filling room with smoke

The elderly resident had a relative visiting who ventured upstairs to discover one of the bedrooms at the Darlington home filling with smoke.

Reflected rays from the sun had singed through the curtains and started burning the windowsill.

Pictures show how the intense reflection burnt a whole in the window dressings and charred the wooden windowsill.

A fire started to burn through the curtain. (Image: CDDFRS)

The relative called 999 and firefighters soon arrived at the scene.

Fire crews have since issued a warning to homeowners over the dangers of leaving mirrors near windows, in view of the sunlight.

Sarah Litt from the County Durham and Darlington fire service said: “A mirror or any other glass object, such as an ornament, that is curved, allows the glass to act as a lens.

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“When the sunlight hits it, it becomes concentrated and, if the rays are bounced onto something flammable - such as curtains or soft furnishings - then a fire can start.

“It does depend on the angle of the sun, so it’s important that reflective items such as mirrors, crystals and glass ornaments are kept out of direct sunlight.

“Thankfully, these types of incidents are very uncommon, but we hope everyone reading this will think twice about their mirror and glass/crystal ornament placing going forward.”