London Fire Brigade have warned to never leave your dishwasher on overnight after a family saw their’s catch on fire. 

Simone Anderson, a mother-of-two,  from Topeka, Kansas, recalled loading the kitchen appliance on the evening and turning it on before bed. 

Little did she know at 1.25am the dishwasher would be alight with flames waking the entire family.

While the family-of-four got away unscathed, firefighters have now warned against using the dishwasher overnight.

Speaking to FEMAIL, a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said that if a fire breaks out when people are asleep, there is a greater risk of not being able to escape.

One US family are lucky to have escaped after their dishwasher burst into flames in the middle of the night (Pictured: the burnt dishwasher carcass)

Despite the manic incident, Gwilym Snook, a dishwasher expert at Bolton electrical retailer AO.com, has revealed that leaving your dishwasher on overnight is ‘generally safe to do’ (The family-of-four shared the remnants of their kitchen on GoFundMe)

‘While the vast majority of household appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines are manufactured to a good standard and are perfectly safe, where practically possible people should avoid leaving appliances running unattended overnight,’ they said.

‘If you have to use your appliances overnight, it is important to take steps to keep you and your family safe. Make sure your home is fitted with working smoke alarms, test them regularly and fit a heat alarm in the kitchen.

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Our dishwasher burst into flames and burnt our kitchen down after we made one common mistake

‘Don’t overload your plug sockets as this can lead to overheating and check the cables and plugs of all appliance for signs of wear and tear. Clean all filters regularly as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

‘Additionally, always ensure that your white goods are registered so if there’s a dangerous fault that could cause a fire, you will be notified. You can get free, tailored fire safety advice for your home by using the Brigade’s online Home Fire Safety Checker’.

Despite the frightening incident, Gwilym Snook, a dishwasher expert at Bolton electrical retailer AO.com, has revealed that leaving your dishwasher on overnight is ‘generally safe to do’.

He explained: ‘Leaving your dishwasher on overnight is generally safe to do as modern dishwashers are designed with multiple safety features. 

‘Yet leaving this appliance on overnight is not advisable as there are some other considerations than if you were to run it through the daytime’.

According to the expert, there were no immediate dangers associated with leaving the dishwasher on overnight, however he pointed to other reasons why it was best turned off.

‘Be aware that dishwashers can be quite noisy and running it at night may disrupt your sleep or the sleep of others in the house’ said Gwilym. 

He added: ‘You should also be wary of water leaks from your dishwasher which could cause quite the mess to wake up to. If your dishwasher’s leak detection system fails to work, then a water leak could lead to damage to either your floor or kitchen’.

Simone and Paul Anderson are pictured in an undated social media photo 

Last month, Simone and her family were luckily evacuated to safety when fire struck their home. 

‘We are devastated. Please pray for my family. Check your smoke detectors. Don’t run appliances at night. It’s not worth the risk,’ Simone warned in a posted video.

The fire caused thousands of dollars in damage and destroyed the kitchen, leaving the family having to find somewhere else to live for up to six months while cleaning, restoration and renovation takes place.

While the couple have home insurance, it doesn’t cover all costs and they need to fork out more than $3,500 along with additional moving fees.

Turning on your dishwasher at night is a common mistake among households worldwide, and majority likely aren’t aware of the risks as the appliance can overheat and cause a fire.

Simone’s house fire acts as a warning to other households to only run a dishwasher during the day while you’re home.

As dishwashers generate heat while operating, it’s best to monitor the appliance to minimise the risk of a fire. This also applies to dryers and washing machines for the same reason.

In this case, it isn’t clear if the appliance was faulty or if it simply overheated overnight to cause the fire.

Simone’s video has since been viewed more than 1.7million times and hundreds have thanked her for sharing the warning.

A GoFundMe page was also created to support the family financially.

‘I run my dishwasher every single night and never will again,’ one commented.

‘I didn’t even know this was possible. I’ve never had an issue,’ another said.

‘My mum always told me to never leave the house or go to sleep with an appliance running! Thank you for sharing and I’m so sorry for web site your loss,’ a third added.

‘I live in an apartment and it’s terrifying thinking about how many of my neighbors probably run appliances at night and while they’re gone,’ someone else wrote.

‘Thanks to your video I finally replaced my smoke detector batteries, which I was procrastinating for a few days. So thank you,’ another wrote.

‘I thought slow cookers were safe until one night while the slow cooker was finishing up it’s thing, I heard a lot popping and sputtering sound from the unit. I unplugged it and went to pick up the insert. The insert had literally split,’ one more added.

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