An Amazon Alexa sparked a house fire in Sunderland after it was covered in clothes and overheated.
The smart speaker caught fire in the bedroom of a first floor property in Wearside on Monday evening.
Fire crews from Rainton Bridge and Farringdon wore breathing equipment as they put out the flames.
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No one was injured in the incident.
However, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has issued a warning warned users of electrical devices to make sure they are never left covered.
A spokesman said: "Sometimes technology can be our downfall if it’s not cared for properly.
"On Monday, we received a call around 9:40pm about a fire in a first floor bedroom of a property.
"Our crews from Rainton Bridge and Farringdon were on the scene in matter of minutes to begin extinguishing the fire in their breathing apparatus.
"The Alexa smart speaker had been covered in clothing, causing it to overheat and start a fire in the bedroom.
"Luckily, the occupants of the house were able to evacuate before our arrival.
"A huge thank you to our crews who were able to keep the damage to a minimum!
"Anything electrical has the power to overheat, so they shouldn’t be covered as this becomes a further fire hazard."
Group Manager Tony Markwell, head of service delivery East for TWFRS, said "Anything electrical has the power to overheat, so shouldn’t be covered as this becomes a further fire hazard.
"Thankfully our crews were on scene quickly and were able to keep the damage to a minimum.
"It’s important to check your smoke alarms to make sure they are in working order as they are our first line of defence when it comes to fires.
"We can fit smoke and heat detectors for free, you just have to contact us on our website and a member of the team will be round to make sure your home is safe this year."
