An Exmouth woman has told how her hair serum almost caught fire after sunlight caused the bottle to melt.

An Exmouth woman has told of the moment she realised strong sunlight was in danger of starting a fire in her bedroom.

Christine Gray, 54, of Madagascar Close, and her husband David, had been on the verge of calling the fire brigade after noticing an acrid smell of burning in their home.

Tracing the smell, the pair was shocked to find the sun bouncing off a nearby magnifying mirror had caused a plastic bottle on Christine’s dressing table to melt.

Christine said the bottle of hair serum had begun to bubble and smoke because of the strength of the sunlight directed from the mirror.

Husband David, a former firefighter, said the bottle could have caught fire had it been undiscovered.

Christine said acrid smoke was rising from the bottle when the couple traced the cause of the smell.

She hopes her story will highlight to others the potential fire hazards ordinary household items could pose.

Christine said: “My husband and I noticed the smell of burning coming from our bedroom.

“David, being an ex-fireman, was anxious to track down the cause of the smell and we were at the point of calling the fire brigade when I noticed a bottle of my hair serum had started to melt and it was very hot.

“The bottle of serum had been located next to a vanity mirror which had reflected sunlight onto the bottle and caused it to start melting.

“The contents of the bottle were flammable and would probably have burst into flames if the problem had not been detected.”

Christine said the experience has taught her to move any flammable products away from direct sunlight.

Exmouth fire station group manager Mike White said care and attention was paramount when preventing fires breaking out in the home.

He said: “This is quite an unusual circumstance. It shows you need to be vigilant at all times.

“While it didn’t catch fire, hopefully they would have had smoke detectors in the house which would have given further warning something wasn’t right.”

And with winter coming on, he urged: “This time of year, when people are lighting open fires, it is important to get them serviced for the winter.”