From FIA 19th September 2011

Students will not be able to attend classes at a school in Cumbria today (September 19th), after a fire broke out in the food technology unit on Friday.
Crews from Barrow, Dalton-in-Furness, Ulverton, Broughton and Walney were called to Dowdales School, in Dalton, at 14.07 in the afternoon on Friday (September 16th).
The fire started in a classroom, but then spread to the roof of the school building.
Firefighters used 11 breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets and one main jet in tackling the fire, with a team staying once the blaze had been extinguished to damp down the surrounding area.
Early investigations into the cause of the outbreak indicate it may have been started by a faulty tumble dryer, according to the BBC.
The Responsible Person for schools or any other public or commercial building should ensure that electrical appliances are regularly checked as part of fire risk assessment procedures.
Electrical devices, plugs and cables pose a real danger of fire if they are old or badly wired.

This is a good example of the importance of Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) being carried out.