Can a clothing iron start a fire if left on at home?

sevenninedesign: Can a clothing iron start a fire if left on at home?
My wife left a clothing iron on at home accidentally before going to work today and is worried about it starting a fire at home.
If the iron is left on, but standing up and not touching anything flammable, is it possible that it could start a fire?

Answers and Views:

Answer by krayzeyes
anything pluged in and turned on can start a fire. i’d go home and turn it off.

Answer by Will
Yes, it is possible.

Answer by papaw
yes

Answer by Singer
Once I left an iron on top of my shirt when I went to a party while my parents were on vacation, and when I got back my whole kitchen, bedroom, and dining room were burned down.

Answer by jeezmeneti66
Get home as fast as you can your house is on fire and the children will burn

Answer by Boffo
Absolutely. One of you should run home and fix it. Do you have pets? It could get knocked over.

Answer by Obenführerin
I have done the same. I got home once and realized the iron was still on and when I checked it, it was cool. It had also happened while I was ironing my clothes one time. I had alot of clothes to press once and after 30 minutes it shut off while I was using it.

My guess is that it has an automatic shut off. Most manufacturers today think about how to avoid law suits, so my best bet is that it has an automatic shut off timer.

Answer by ammeinhardt
any electronic that is left plugged in and turned on has the potential of starting an electrical fire inside your walls. However, if the hot part of the iron is not touching anything then no…the only thing it could light on fire is itself. They make iron’s these days that work like most curling irons, they shut off after a certain period of time, that would be something to invest in if this is a common occurence in your home.

Answer by daffodils
Some switch off automatically after a certain amount of time, in which case, probably not a problem. However, it wouldn’t take much for it to say, get knocked over, even just on to the rug, and… Especially if you have pets that may knock the ironing board. Hope it turns out okay.

Answer by mjsyracuse
It can absolutely start a fire. Even if you think it is not near anything flammable. There could be a short in the wire or outlet that could start an electrical fire. Also, there is a chance the iron could get knocked off of where it is, especially if you have pets at home

Answer by designingwoman00
My husband is a fire fighter and according to him anything that you leave plugged in to an outlet and turned on can potentially start a fire. What if the iron topples over? I would be worried about the iron, personally. But if you are confident that where it was left is perfectly safe, then don’t worry about it. I guess that is why you have insurance, right? J/K!

Answer by arurak247
get home and turn it off if will start a fire