A mother and three-month-old baby had a lucky escape when a tumble dryer caught fire at the woman’s Hove home.
Fire crews believe that a small bit of fluff had become trapped down the back of the dryer, sparking the blaze.
The woman spotted the fire before it could set off her smoke alarm and escaped to safety with her baby.
Two East Sussex Fire and Rescue crews were sent to tackle the fire, in Westbourne Gardens, and Watch Manager Peter Boaks said that the mother had done all the right things.
He said: “She was using the tumble dryer during the day and had a working smoke detector.
“If she had been using it at night, it could have been a different story.
“Always ensure that tumble dryers are properly cleaned.
“This was a fairly new tumbler dryer and she kept it clean but unfortunately we believe that a little bit of fluff got trapped down the back of the appliance, which sparked the fire.
“On this occasion this lady did all the right things and could not have done any more.”
The fire, which happened on Monday morning (21 March), caused no damage to the property.
