Crews extinguish kitchen fire

Crews extinguished a kitchen fire which started when shopping bags were set alight by a toaster.

Firefighters from Maldon and Chelmsford were called to a ground floor flat in Cherry Garden Road today at 1.33pm.

They found a fire in the kitchen and the rest of the flat filled with smoke.

Watch Manager Martin Cable said: "The occupant had come home and put his shopping bags on his kitchen worktop. He accidently turned on his toaster with one of the bags and the next thing he knew, his kitchen was on fire.

"He was understandably upset but he did the right thing when he noticed the fire; he got out, stayed out and called 999. 

"Maldon's crew quickly extinguished the fire and Chelmsford's crew took over and damped down; it was good work by everybody involved." 

Crews extinguished the fire by 2.13pm and used a fan to ventilate the property.

The kitchen was badly damaged and the rest of the flat sustained smoke damage so the relevant authorities were contacted to arrange alternative accommodation.

Watch Manager Cable said smoke alarms were sounding when crews entered the flat.

We want every home in Essex to have a working smoke alarm on every floor. If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms at home, please get in touch so we can see how best to provide fire safety advice; visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book

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