A mum says she’s been left traumatised after her 25-year-old slow cooker burst into flames.
Cheryl Bourton was cooking a chicken tikka when she suddenly heard her teenage sons shouting “fire.”
The 37-year-old had popped some ingredients into the pot and headed to work as a school cook manager, expecting her meal to be ready by 6pm.
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Luckily, she came home from work at 2pm and turned the temperature down.
Three hours later, sons Joshua, 19, and Ryan, 16, started shouting.
She claims that when she ran into the kitchen, the plastic cooker had melted and there were flames reaching the middle of the cupboards above.
Waiters Joshua and Ryan quickly put out the fire with a damp towel.
The fire brigade was not called.
“It was very scary,” Cheryl, of Windsor, Berkshire, told Need to Know.
“Joshua was shouting ‘Mum, there’s a fire’ but I thought he was joking.
“I didn’t believe it because the fire alarm didn’t go off.
“I turned it off at the wall and Ryan put a damp towel on it.
“The flames were so high, they were all the way up to the middle of the cupboard.
“The fire was getting bigger and bigger and the plastic had melted.
“My sons are amazing, they knew exactly what to do.
“They were so sensible and dealt with it so well.
“It was traumatising.
“The cooker wasn’t making a noise so it’s lucky that my boys spotted it.”
Thankfully, there was no permanent damage to the family’s kitchen.
The slow cooker was a gift from Cheryl’s great gran 25 years ago.
She shared a clip of the burnt appliance to TikTok to warn people to keep an eye on the electrical items.
The clip has racked up more than 579,000 views.
Cheryl said: “When I posted the video, everyone was asking how old it is.
“It was a gift from my great nan so it is old.
“I just want people to know to keep an eye on their electricals.
“If we hadn’t been in, it would have been a lot worse.
“People should get things pat tested. We’ve ordered a device that we use to check that our appliances are safe.
“We could have lost everything. Luckily, I came home from work.
“Usually, we go to work and leave it on.”
Zoe Stewart commented: “It’s about 40-years-old.”
Jess wrote: “Isn’t it common sense not to leave any electrics on when you’re not home?”
Another person joked: “Antiques Roadshow says it’s worth chuff all.”
Jam Press have contacted the manufacturer of the slow cooker for comment.
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