Crews extinguish kitchen fire

Update Wednesday 30 October 

A fire investigation has found that the fire was started accidentally. The resident accidentally turned on the hob, which caused the items on top to set alight. 

Hob and cooker top tips: 

• Never use the hob or cooker as a storage area 
• Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob 
• Keep the oven, hob and grill clean, and in good working order – a build-up of fat and grease can ignite a fire 
• Double check the cooker is off when you've finished cooking

Firefighters from Thaxted, Saffron Walden, Stansted, Newport and Dunmow have extinguished a kitchen fire on Hehnham Road, Debden. 

Crews were called to the incident at 7.30pm.

When firefighters arrived they found a well developed fire in the kitchen, with the entire house being fully smoke logged. 

Station Manager Pete Donovan said: "Crews have worked quickly and efficiently to extinguish the fire, unfortunately it had spread to the roof so firefighters have been working to make that as safe as possible. We believe the fire started in the kitchen but there will be a full fire investigation which will be carried out to determine the cause.

"The residents in this incident had working smoke alarms in their home that were going off when firefighters arrived. Smoke alarms save lives. They can alert your family as well as your neighbours and passers by to a fire in your home if you're not in. We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test them at least once a month."

If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms at home, please get in touch. Visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.