A man in the German town of Duesseldorf set fire to his flat when an inflatable mattress he was trying to mend exploded, national media said on Wednesday.
The man, aged 45, used a tyre repair solvent to fix a leak in the airbed instead of special mattress glue. The mattress exploded after a spark from an electric pump he was using to inflate the bed ignited the solvent, the express.de news website said.
The blast caused a wall to collapse. The man was not injured in the accident, but his three-year-old daughter suffered arm burns.
Another 23 people were evacuated from the house and neighboring buildings. The damage has been estimated at 20,000 euros ($28,000).
sections: Accidents |