A Denbigh woman was hospitalised suffering from smoke inhalation following a tumble dryer fire in her Denbigh home yesterday evening.

Firefighters from Denbigh and St Asaph were called to the property at Cysgod Y Graig, Denbigh at 17.13 hrs yesterday, Sunday October 21 and used one hose reel jet and two sets of breathing apparatus to tackle the fire in the kitchen.

The female occupant appears to have attempted to re enter the property to fight the fire, and had to be transferred to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.

The fire is thought to have been caused by and electrical fault in a tumble dryer.

Gwyn Jones, Community Safety Manager for Denbighshire and Conwy said:

"It is extremely important to get out of the property as quickly as possible and not return into a dangerous area for any reason. Smoke alarms give an early warning signal which allows everyone to evacuate as soon as possible. Smoke can be extremely toxic and just a few breaths can be lethal - going back in to save possessions or pets is just not worth the risk.

"We are also asking occupants to take a few steps to ensure that they use their tumble dryers in a safe way. These include:

- Never overload the tumble dryer

- Never leave it on whilst you are in bed or go out

- Do not set the programme too long

- Clean the filters regularly

"By carrying out the above precautions you should reduce the risk of a tumble dryer fire. However, you must also ensure that you have a working smoke alarm installed and maintained as they give early warning of a fire.

"As part of our free home fire safety checks, we offer basic fire safety advice on how to keep as safe as possible from fire in your home and can fit new smoke alarms on every floor of your home. This advice and equipment really can mean the difference between life and death, and we encourage all residents in North Wales to take advantage of this free service.

"To register, please call our free 24 hour hotline on 0800 169 1234 or visit www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk or text 88365, ensuring you prefix your message with the word HFSC."