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It may sound like an urban myth, but it can and does happen. Fishbowls, jam-jars and even glass door-knobs have been implicated in focusing the sun’s rays sufficiently to cause smouldering, followed by a full-scale blaze.
As we get a little bit of sunshine back in the UK, following weeks of borderline torrential rain, experts warn against a surprising fire hazard - the placement of your magnifying mirror.
The answer is yes, sunlight can cause a house fire, as its rays can be extremely dangerous when focused through glass or a mirror. In the past five years alone, there have been 125 fires in the UK reported to have been caused by the sun’s rays.
Sounds scary, right? But don't feel you need to reconsider your mirror decor ideas just yet. These fires are uncommon enough not to cause major concern and can be avoided with some simple tips like checking your smoke alarms, purchasing a fire extinguisher, and keeping glass objects away from windows.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service believe that the fire in St Margaret's Banks on July 18 was started when sunlight bounced off a vanity mirror and onto the pairs bedroom curtains. The two...
Firefighters were called to tackle a house blaze in Stoke-on-Trent last week, sparked by sunlight reflecting into the house from a glass table in the garden. The owners managed to get out safely. Picture: @ WestMidsFire / Twitter.
Fires have been caused inside homes by magnifying mirrors reflecting light from the sun on to combustible items. And outside, some people may remember how, a couple of years ago, sunlight shining through a glass bottle in a flower bed ignited a hedge and spread to a building in Malvern.