I was in the fridge when there was a flash and the circuit breaker tripped. What happened?

bogstandard2

I was getting something out of the fridge, there was suddenly a flash within the body of the fridge itself, like when you plug something in and sometimes the socket flashes. Then the relevant circuit breaker tripped.

I’ve never seen this before, what happened and is it safe? Fridge is about a year old.

Flicked the breaker back on and it’s now happily whirring away again. We did have the oven on at the time but no other electric greedy appliance.

Please only comment if you have the relevant knowledge, anybody can say ‘sounds dangerous, turn it off’ (indeed I can, and am) but I’d prefer to see what somebody who knows electrics says.

Aylesbury_Duck

Sounds like a short circuit of some sort. Pull the fridge out and check the wiring hasn’t been pinched/chewed, etc (with the power off, obviously).

TELLIT01

Nobody, with or without electrical knowledge, can say if it's safe to use without examining it. A flash within the fridge would certainly mean that I wouldn't switch it back on until it had been checked. There is a lot of moisture inside a fridge and it seems likely that has somehow made contact with an electrical circuit.

FreeBear

First thought was "Oh, the bulb has blown". This might have caused a flash which tripped out the mains. Alternatively, moisture in/around the thermostat, but these are usually tolerant of damp environments. Could even have been the door switch arcing out...

If it is still under warranty, call the supplier and bend their ear - They may try to push you on to the manufacturer, but it is the retailer that has primary responsibility for any faults.