By Dina Ginzburg

Microwaving a pair of clean socks to get that “fresh-out-of-the-dryer” warmth is a generally unadvisable practice. While letting some fabric revolve a few times for 20 seconds probably won’t send your house crashing down in flames, you can’t guarantee that there won’t be an accident.

A man in a seaside town in England recently experienced firsthand the effects of microwaving clothing. The man decided that it would be a good idea to dry his completely wet socks and underwear in his microwave. Needless to say, this wasn’t a very smart idea, because the clothing caught fire and the flames started to spread through his apartment. Luckily, firemen arrived just in time to save the man and prevent the fire from causing any major damage.

Not only did the event teach the man a lesson, but it also proved that the Dorset Fire Department has a sense of humour. After the incident, @DorsetFire tweeted: "Use your dryers, stop pants fires. Hang them on the line, when the weather is fine.” Looks like they have some poets over there too! But, in all seriousness, they give some pretty good advice. As a lesson learned: don’t use the microwave for your clothes. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to explain to a fireman that you started a fire by trying to heat up some socks…