TUESDAY morning got off to the worst possible start for Amanda Jones, of Chirk, when she stepped into the shower and it burst into flames.

The frightening incident took place at Amanda’s home in Longfield.

Only prompt action by the fire service prevented the flames from spreading further and causing extensive damage.

Amanda told the Leader she was very grateful for the way firefighters dealt with the emergency.

The fire began at about 7.45am when Amanda got into the electric shower in her bathroom. Initially all was well, but then Amanda saw smoke was starting to billow out of the control unit.

Staying calm, she quickly called the fire service for help. The need for urgency was growing as Amanda saw flames were now starting to come out of the unit.

She said: “The whole thing was quite alarming and totally unexpected.

“The fire service came in just a few minutes and credit to them did a very good job.

The smoke alarm had also gone off and the firefighters carried out refitting work afterwards.

“Because they were able to deal with the incident speedily the damage caused has been confined to the shower cubicle and there is smoke damage in the bathroom as well.”

Amanda said she was relieved because the outcome could have been far more serious.

She said: “If it had caught light when there was no-one in the house the flames could have spread unchecked to the whole property.”

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze had been started by an electrical fault in the shower. Two crews were sent out – one from Chirk and one from Wrexham.