I lost everything after my air fryer exploded and burned down my house – it broke me and I cried for 10 hours
A SINGLE mum lost everything she owned in a fire after her air fryer exploded.
Angel Carpenter, 23, thought it was a joke when she got a call to say her house was on fire at around 11am on January 24.
She returned to find her home destroyed – losing all her furniture and her 15-month-old daughter Frankie’s clothes and toys.
Angel was told by firefighters the blaze could have been caused by an electric fault which led the air fryer and two aerosols to explode.
The fire also burst the water pipes which put out the flames.
Now her mum Emma, 43, is hoping to fundraise £4,500 to refurnish her daughter’s home.
Admin worker Angel said: “They said it was something to do with a plug socket or it could have been a dodgy air fryer.
“That much had melted they couldn’t tell what it was. Everything I have worked has gone into that house.
“It was such a shock. I cried for ten hours. It broke me. I have lost everything in that house.”
Angel was at work when she got the call from a neighbour to say her house was on fire.
Her daughter Frankie was being looked after by Emma.
Angel, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, said: “They said your house is on fire. I thought it was a joke.
“I didn’t expect this. I always double check everything is turned off.”
She was able to retrieve some clothes from her property but they stink of smoke.
Angel said: “Four washes later and we still haven’t got out the smell.
“We managed to get the photos out of the frames and some of her first birthday cards. I’m going to laminate them.”
House fires linked to air fryers rocket to record high
HOUSE fires linked to air fryers have rocketed to a record high in England, figures show.
Firefighters named the appliance in reports on 146 incidents in the 12 months to March — 57 per cent up on the previous year.
But the real number could be even higher — because the kitchen gizmo is not listed as an option on outdated forms that record the cause of domestic blazes.
Pensioner James Cooper, 76, had a “lucky escape” when his device burst into flames while he was cooking chips at his home in Cheltenham.
He said: “I could smell intense burning. It was a complete surprise to see it was the fryer itself that was on fire.”
A house in Harlow, Essex, was heavily damaged by a fire — with it blamed on an electrical fault from an air fryer.
Other recent blazes linked to the device have been recorded in Shropshire, Bedfordshire, London, Greater Manchester and Edinburgh.
The increase comes after air fryers rose in popularity during the cost-of-living crisis, due to their energy efficiency.
The Home Office is reviewing the Incident Recording System to see if more categories, such as fryers, need to be added.
A spokesman said: “We regularly review the data that we receive from Fire and Rescue Services to ensure emerging risks are accurately captured.”
Unfortunately Angel does not have any house insurance and is living with her mum until she can fix and refurbish her home.
She said: “I should have taken out fire insurance or house insurance. You don’t think of it. It doesn’t feel real. It feels like a dream.”
Angel is thankful to anyone who has donated to the fundraiser.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue were unable to provide information on the cause of the fire.
They said: “At 11:17 on Friday, 24 January, 2025, SFRS Fire Control received a call reporting a fire classified as House Fire in Bridgnorth.
“Two fire appliances were mobilised from Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock. An Operations officer was in attendance.
“Fire crews used two hose reel jets, covering jet, ventilation fan and 4 breathing apparatus.