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Grandmother dies after her microwave bed warmer bag catches fire

By Chris Brooke
Last updated at 9:22 PM on 17th June 2008

A widow died after her microwaveable bed warmer bag caught fire.

Doreen Ghiloni’s bedroom was engulfed in flames after the Hottie bag started smouldering. A neighbour helped the frail 82-year-old grandmother to escape without burns.

But she died in hospital the next day of a suspected heart attack caused by breathing in smoke.

Doreen Ghiloni died after her microwave heat pack caught fire in her sleep. Her family, including son Ian, want to raise awareness about the bag’s dangers

Her family has warned of the dangers of the increasingly popular hot water bottle-shaped bags.

It is thought Mrs Ghiloni, a former machine operator from Leeds, may have overheated the wheat-filled warmer.

Users are advised to put a small cup of cold water in the microwave with the bag, but her son Ian believes she had failed to do this.

Ironically, Mrs Ghiloni’s relatives had given her the bag, made by Aroma Home UK, because they were concerned she might be scalded using a kettle to fill her old traditional hot water bottle.

Her son, Ian Ghiloni, 55, said: ‘People need to be aware of the dangers of these things. It’s vulnerable elderly people that use these to keep them warm at night and it’s those people who need to be extra careful.

‘We bought mum’s because we thought it would be safer than using the kettle every night to fill a hot water bottle. If we’d known what can happen with wheat bags we wouldn’t have got one.’

At present instructions on how to use the Hotties are written only on the packaging and not on the bag itself, he said.

‘There should be very clear instructions written on the product itself rather than the package. It is not the kind of item you keep the packaging for,’ said Mr Ghiloni.

‘I don’t think people should be taking these things to bed. I think that needs to be clear.’

The bags, which also contain herbs and claim to relieve joint and pain, are becoming a popular-alternative to hot water bottles.

The unique structure of the wheat grain allows it to warm up fast and stay warm for around two hours. But experts say that over time the bags can become increasingly prone to overheating.

Mrs Ghiloni’s daughter Lynda Townsend, 54, a headmistress, said: ‘There are a lot of people who have these.

‘Maybe with some of them there is not enough information on the packaging. I really think it needs to be brought to public attention.’

A scented wheat bag similar to the one that burst into flames killing Mrs Ghiloni

Chris Clarke, the fire investigation officer for Leeds, said the brigade had dealt with at least six wheat-bag incidents in the past year.

But he explained: ‘We have spoken with trading standards in the past and really, the manufacturers are complying with what they should be doing.’

Mr Clarke said putting a small amount of water into the microwave with the bag helped stop it drying out, avoiding any smouldering effect.

Wheat-filled bags have been sold for many years as a drug-free means of pain relief, and have become a multi-million pound industry.

They are now available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes in supermarkets, high street shops, on the internet and even in kit form. They can also be used like an ice pack if taken straight from the freezer.

The bag’s manufacturers, Aroma Home UK, refused to comment.