‘My daughter turned the Kmart throw on then I heard a bang and her screaming’

A Victorian mum-of-three is warning parents about a Kmart heated throw that “blew up” in her child’s hands only a day after purchasing it.

Just last week, Ashlee made a purchase that she hoped would keep her three children warm enough this winter in the only way she could afford.

“Turning on the heating costs so much these days, so I had to come up with another option,” the 34-year-old from Victoria’s Gippsland region, tells Kidspot.

Her choice was this Anko brand heated throw, which she bought online for $45 to be used on her living room sofa.

On the day it was delivered, Ashlee turned on the blanket and used it for herself without any issues.

“I loved it, and taught the kids how to use it safely from the start,” she says.

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"Something had blown up"

The next morning, her five-year-old daughter, Isla, asked to use it while snuggling up on the couch. Isla’s older brother turned on the power at the wall and seconds later, the little girl flicked the switch button on the cord. That’s when disaster struck.

“I was walking out of the lounge area towards my room and I heard a bang then Isla scream and cry like she was terrified,” the mum-of-three remembers.

“Her brothers were freaking out, saying they saw sparks and that something had blown up.”

Rushing back to her daughter’s side, Ashlee could not believe what she saw.

“The control switch was burnt and black and Isla’s sleeve had a burn mark on it,” she says, still shocked.

“Thankfully, her hand was okay. The sparks flicked up onto her sleeve, so she must have let go just in time. She was very, very lucky.”

The ANKO throw that heated up and burnt out. Image: Supplied

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The heated throw, which was plugged directly into a wall and not connected to a power source before Isla requested to use it, tripped the home’s electricity supply when it malfunctioned. 

“We followed all the right safety rules and this still happened.”

Shockingly, it wasn’t the first incident Ashlee has experienced with Anko products.

“Last year, I bought a hand mixer and two weeks later, it blew up in one of my older child’s hands while they were helping me make icing for a birthday cake,” Ashlee explains.

“There was smoke and sparks. Luckily, they weren’t hurt. I replaced it with another one, thinking it was just faulty. But within a couple of minutes of using the second one, it happened again in my hands. I wasn’t going to risk it happening to one of the kids again.” 

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Ashlee is now left with the difficult decision of whether to replace the throw with another product or face an electricity bill she just can’t afford.

“It was the first time I’d ever bought an electric blanket of any kind because I’m very cautious but I only did it because of power prices going up so much, everyone said this was the best and cheapest option to help us all keep warm first thing in the morning and at night,” she says.

“I’m considering getting another brand of heated throw but I’m terrified at the same time.”

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Clothing was damaged. Image: Supplied

A horrifying experience

On April 24, Ashlee contacted Kmart via Facebook and email to alert the retailer of the incident.

The company responded, saying it was “concerned” for her daughter and have attempted to contact Ashlee by phone, but the mum has not been able to return the call so far.

“I was just surprised they didn’t immediately mention having the product returned or putting a warning out there.”

Ashlee hopes her frightening experience will result in the heated throw being reassessed for safety.

“It’s horrifying because I know lots of parents are buying these for their kids’ bedrooms and I can’t imagine how dangerous that could potentially be if this happened,” she says.

“I’m terrified that someone’s child will be seriously injured or a house will catch fire. These things need to be tested more than they already are. It could have been so much worse for us.”

Kidspot has contacted Kmart in response to this incident but the retailer has not responded at the time of publication.

Originally published as ‘My daughter turned the Kmart throw on then I heard a bang and her screaming’