AN ELDERLY resident in Saffron Walden avoided a certain disaster when she used her personal alarm to contact the fire brigade.

FIREFIGHTERS were alerted to a blaze thanks to a personal alarm worn by an 83-year-old woman.

Two crews from Saffron Walden were called to a kitchen fire in Eastview Close just after 5pm on Wednesday.

Sub officer Nigel Webb said: “The woman discovered there was a fire in her kitchen when she heard her smoke alarm going off, she then used her personal alarm to call in the fire service.

“The combination of these two things meant that what could have been a terrible fire was in fact quickly extinguished with the minimum of damage.”

Crews extinguished the fire by within half an hour wearing two sets of breathing apparatus and using one hose.

The woman had suffered shock and mild smoke inhalation and was given oxygen therapy by crews. She was left in the care of the ambulance service.