A Donegal mother has warned of the danger posed by overloading extension leads after her sons' plug socket caught fire.
Sabrina McLaughlin, 41, told how a four-socket extension cord connected to an Xbox gaming system melted and set fire to the whole room at a property in Greencastle, Co Donegal.
McLaughlin revealed just how lucky she and her family were to escape the fire, which broke out in a bedroom shared by her two boys shortly after 4pm on Wednesday last.
The mother of four explained how one of her children saw smoke coming from the room while her youngest child remained upstairs in another room unaware.
Speaking following the ordeal, McLaughlin said: "I was in the kitchen at the time with my son and oldest daughter, my youngest, who is nine was upstairs.
"My oldest daughter went out to go up the stairs and said she saw smoke coming down. I ran up, got my wee girl and put her outside.
"I ran back to see where it was coming from and I opened the boys' room door and the flames came out I shut the door and ran outside with the kids."
The ensuing fire completely destroyed the wall socket and the extension cord, as well as burning the two teenagers' room, damaging curtains, the rug, and the wall.
The family have remained in the home following advice from the Donegal Fire Service.
However, Sabrina's two sons have had to move to a friend for the short term following the blaze.
"We then rang the fire service and they were there so fast, thank god, but my boys lost everything they had," she added. "They were left with just the clothes on their back."
A spokesperson for Donegal Fire Service said that members of the public should ensure a number of measures are in place in order to avoid electric fires in their homes.
They include buying genuine charging cables, or cables that are certified by the manufacturer, ensuring that charging cables have the European CE mark, avoiding over-charging phone or charging overnight, and replacing any damaged cables immediately.
Following the fire, McLaughlin is keen to warn others of the danger posed by overloading plugs.
She said: "I would like people to see what could happen (if they overload extension leads). I wouldn't want anyone to go through what we did.
"Everyone needs to watch extension leads that are near beds or overloaded make sure they're off.
"At the end of the day it's just stuff and everyone is ok."
