On 18/12/2019 17:44, The Other Mike wrote:
On Wed, 18 Dec 2019 11:50:15 +0000, GB
wrote:

On 17/12/2019 20:59, The Other Mike wrote:

Ditto with a mate of mine back in the late 1980's, an AEG washing
machine, costing an arm and a leg and just a few months old decided to
burst into flames just as they were going to bed. Fortunately it was
unpluggable and a few buckets of water eventually put the flames out.
Five minutes later and the whole kitchen would have been alight.


Which bits of the machine were burning so fiercely?

It was near the top, around the sequencer/controller, took out much of
the wiring, scorched the metal cover and damaged the worktop.

Apparently it was fully established flames not just smoke, no fuse
blew and I don't think he had a RCD equipped consumer unit either.

I don't think his wife ever put a washing machine on a cycle
unattended ever again.


In those days, machines would have a metal lid. Nowadays, it might be
worse, as some machines have more combustible lids.