It might be wise to check snow globes while completing fire risk assessments, as one caused a display window to ignite last week.
The fake snow and reindeer food in the window of a thrift shop in southwest England caught fire on Christmas morning from sunlight refracting through a snow globe, according to reports.
Firefighters put the fire out within 10 minutes of arriving around 11:30 a.m., but there was still “severe fire damage to the shop window display, heat damage to the window and severe smoke damage to the entire shop,” a fire service spokesman told news reporters.
The spokesman said that while snow globe-related fires are rare, they are possible — especially when the sun is lower in the sky — so homeowners should take note.
“Consideration should be given to the possibility that this could happen in your homes, particularly with shaving-type mirrors, which can focus the sun’s rays and cause fires,” the spokesman added.
The Italian government is doing some catastrophe risk modeling when it comes to one of the world’s most beloved works of art.