LAPTOP and tablet owners are being warned not to leave devices on charge unsupervised after a blaze at a Leeds house was caused by a device overheating.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued the warning after releasing photos of damage done in the blaze the house in St David's Road, Otley on Tuesday afternoon.
A laptop with a new battery installed had been left on charge in a wardrobe in a bedroom at the house before the owner went out.
A neighbour alerted fire crews after spotting smoke coming from a bedroom window at around 4pm on Tuesday.
Fire crews from Otley, Rawdon and Shipley extinguished the blaze which badly damaged the bedroom, before quickly establishing the blaze was caused by a laptop.
Station Commander Dave Cookson of West Yorkshire Fire Service, said: "It is a problem we have with laptops in general. People use laptops and then put them down on a settee or bed and it causes overheating. They generate heat anyway but it also blocks the vents designed to create a flow of air to the electronics.
"In this case we think because he had put it on charge and then put it in a confined space it had overheated, because heat builds up gradually. We could see the battery had exploded.
"Our advice is always use a laptop or device on a solid surface and don't leave your house with laptops and tablets on charge or there is a risk of overheating and the overheating can cause a fire."
