Winter sunlight refracting through a spherical glass bedside lamp sparked a house fire in Colby.

Fire crews from Port Erin responded to a 999 call from a home in Cronk-y-Thatcher at just 10.45pm last night (Tuesday).

The owner had returned home and reported that the property was smoke logged.

Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus carried out a thorough check of the building using a thermal imaging camera and found a bedside table had been on fire and had been left to smoulder.

The table was removed from the property and the house was naturally vented.

An investigation into the cause of the fire established that the low winter sunlight was refracting the sun’s rays through a glass spherical bedside lamp which had set fire to a paperback book and the table.

Crews remained at the scene for 45 minutes.

Fire chiefs say there are a number of objects in the home that can focus the sun’s rays including shaving mirrors, glass jars and bottles.

Spherical objects such as paper weights and glass door knobs have been known to start fires.

These objects can focus and concentrate the sun’s rays sufficiently to exceed the threshold for combustion and to start a fire.

Home owners are urged to rearrange their furniture safely.

’Mirrors, glass vases, crystal balls and even bottles of water are dangerous to keep on your window sills. Draw your curtains or remove these decorative items from the sunlight,’ said a Fire and Rescue service spokesman.