Residents escape kitchen fire unharmed

RESIDENTS have escaped unharmed from house fire in Saffron Walden.

Firefighters were called to Clay Pit Piece around 6.15am this morning (Sept 7) after residents discovered a kitchen fire.

Two crews arrived on the scene to find the kitchen completely alight. The incident was dealt with by 6.45am although the kitchen was completely destroyed.

Paul Curtis, Saffron Walden fire station officer, said: “The owners were alerted to the fire by a strong smell of smoke, they were in bed at the time the fire broke out and had got up to investigate and discovered the fire in the kitchen.

“The fire was contained to the kitchen as the residents had closed the kitchen door before they went to bed. This was exactly the right thing to do as it prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the house.

“It appears that the fire started by an electrical fault in the extractor fan or a light. The fire was quite severe as it had been smouldering for a few hours whilst the occupants of the house were sleeping.”

Between September 2011 and September 2012 electrical fires accounted for one in five of all accidental house fires attended by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and left five people seriously injured.

The majority of these fires started in the kitchen either caused by faulty wiring or faulty kitchen appliances. It is important to make sure that all appliances are in good working order, are kept clean and are switched off at the plug when they are not in use.