Wall Film Heaters Warning

Wall Film Heaters Warning

A fire caused by an unusual wall heater has triggered concerns.

The head the Fire Service's Research and Investigation Unit, Peter Wilding said he and his team have never seen a heater like it and he's concerned there may be more in use.

The pretty butterfly-covered "wall film heater' was bought by a Te Puke mother from a private internet seller two years ago via Trademe and hung in her baby's bedroom. Last week, the heater, which looks like a wall hanging, set the wall and nearby furniture on fire. The heater is paper thin and appears to work on the same principle as an electric blanket, While the room was damaged, the mother was able to rescue the baby. Both were treated for smoke inhalation.

Mr Wilding says there wasn't enough of the wall film heater left to determine how it was made or what went wrong. The heater was marketed as having a life of 50,000 hours. The owners believed it had done about quarter of that.

He has alerted Energy Safety who is working with Trademe to identify the seller and other purchasers of the item. In the meantime Mr Wilding advises anyone else who owns similar heaters to stop using them.

"While internet purchasing provides great opportunities for both sellers and buyers, people need to exercise particular caution when buying items that could expose themselves or their families to serious harm if they are faulty. Always be prepared to ask the seller if the product meets known and trusted safety standards." Common New Zealand and international standards labels include NZS (New Zealand Standards), AS (Australian Standards), ISO (International Organization of Standardization), UL (underwriters laboratories), BSI or BS (British Standards), EN (European Norms), and IEC International Electrotechnical Commission).

The Fire Service also publishes fire related recall notices and products warnings on its web site www.fire.org.nz.

ends

© Scoop Media