40 flee flats blaze

January 06, 2009

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Forty people had to be evacuated after hamster bedding left on an electric heater caught fire.

Firefighters were called to the Salford University Castle Irwell student village, in Cromwell Road, Salford just after 6.30am after the fire broke out in the kitchen of one of the flats.

A spokesman for the fire service today (Tuesday) said: "Some of the students had been babysitting a hamster for friends and had left the bedding on an electric heater in the kitchen.

"They didn't initially realise what had caused the fire. When we told them they were very apologetic. The hamster was being kept in another room and was unharmed."

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selfexiled (06/01/2009 at 11:48)

These students would'nt have been studying physics then,on a more serious note this was a near disaster and there should have been more governance by the university regarding the keeping of pets on student accommodation sites

Barney Gumball (06/01/2009 at 13:02)

How many hamsters had to be evacuated...?

Barney Gumball (06/01/2009 at 13:03)

I didn't know you could get electric blankets for hamsters...

S Smith (06/01/2009 at 14:06)

what course was the hamster studying?

Al Capone of Atherton, Atherton (06/01/2009 at 15:46)

Did it have to be given mouse to mouse resuscitation?

Barney Gumball (06/01/2009 at 17:15)

Was the hamster a drugs mule like the dog Pablo...?

Esso Blue. Elite are circling., Manchester City F.C. busy Rubber Stamping. It's a done deal. next (06/01/2009 at 17:38)

Baby sitting an hamster, OK?. Then wasting electricity on heating the bedding because it would have been cold by the time they returned the bedding to the hamster house. Rocket science at it’s highest level.

andanotherthing, Mcr (06/01/2009 at 17:44)

Hampsters have two to three year max life expectancy,I am glad it was saved. Hero firemen again.

Esso Blue. Elite are circling., Manchester City F.C. busy Rubber Stamping. It's a done deal. next (06/01/2009 at 19:48)

If they thought the bedding was to cold for the hamster and the bedding was cold because the house was cold, where was the hamster keeping warm while the bed was warming. On a cold settee

Basil Fawlty, sweden (06/01/2009 at 20:20)

Was it a siberian hamster named Basil?

papillon (06/01/2009 at 21:55)

Students,quite possibly the most clueless section of our society

leanne nicholls (07/01/2009 at 22:10)

I am a student in the flat where the fire broke out. Firstly, to the idiotic person that has called students clueless, the hamster bedding was left near to the heater by accident, not to heat it up for the hamster. Secondly, the heater was also faulty. You may feel that students are the most idiotic demographic, therefore I suggest you bear this in mind next time you need the benefit of somebody with a degree, i.e. Doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots and so on. I suggest you find something more creative (like a degree) to take up your time, rather than writing slanderous comments on the internet. It was indeed a Siberian Hamster...called Rupert.

frank williams (07/01/2009 at 22:37)

I am the person who accidentally started the fire at Castle Irwell- I did not know that the bedding was so close to the heater,and i did not intend to cause any harm or damage.
I would really appreciate it if people would stop sharing their opinions on this news story, as it was an accident, and it is upsetting for me to feel so criminalized, when those of you who are commenting weren't actually there.

openmouthed, Manchester (07/01/2009 at 23:12)

In response to this article and the student bashing comments on this article while I do not live at the flat where the fire was I did see where the hamster bedding was. It was not on the electric storage heater it was on the floor in front of it. Nobody could guess that a bag with pet bedding in it would cause a fire when it was left on the kitchen floor near a switched off electric heater. This fire was not caused by stupidity it was caused by a presumably faulty electric storage heater. However investigation is ongoing as to the cause.

freel07 (08/01/2009 at 07:46)

Papillion I'm afraid you are wrong. The most clueless section of our society are aour politicians of all colours. Followed then by students perhaps.

Esso Blue. Elite are circling., Manchester City F.C. busy Rubber Stamping. It's a done deal. next (08/01/2009 at 12:20)

frank williams
7/01/2009 at 22:37

Frank I hope I haven't upset you I was only having a joke, it’s not the end of the world.

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