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Yeah it's possible the kettle being under a cupboard caused condensation but the sparking came from the base of the kettle I believe. The breaker tripped and the fuse in the kettle apparently has a resistance of only 0.1 Ω according to my multimeter so didn't blow.
There is also a switch for an extractor fan that needs replacing so he's going to have to call an electrician sooner or later anyway; no harm in getting it looked at
frankenbike
@Airhead
It does seem unlikely to be a fault in the wiring of the house, more likely as you've suggested the kettles at fault. I've seen sockets destroyed by long term damage from steam and kettles popping rcd's because they're standing in some water but usually an appliance blowing up is the result of a fault in the appliance. The 13amp fuse should have blown or the RCD tripped, otherwise I'm guessing your flatmate would have some injuries.