Family narrowly escapes blaze after Amazon Echo overheats and explodes

A FAMILY narrowly escaped a blaze after their Amazon Echo overheated and exploded.

Aaron Maflehi, 15, smelled smoke and found his brother Benjamin’s bedroom on fire.

Firefighters managed to put out the blaze but the room was destroyed including toys belonging to Benjamin, 14, who has Down’s syndrome.

Luckily Benjamin was away staying with student mum, Sofia, 52, as Aaron had contracted Covid.

Dad Abdulla, 49, a teacher from Kidderminster, Worcs, said: “It was a blessing Benjamin wasn’t here.

“If any of us had been in his room, we’d have died.

“The fire only lasted ten minutes, but there was so much damage.”

Firefighters said a fault in the Amazon Echo Show 5 caused the blaze.

Amazon told The Sun: “We care deeply about the safety of our customers and appreciate Mr Maflehi’s patience while we work with the local Fire and Rescue Service to further investigate this report.

“We take several steps to ensure the safety of our devices including rigorous testing by our own teams and third party labs, and we are confident our Echo devices meet our strict safety standards.”