Kitchen fire - Dog turns hob on

Firefighters are warning residents to keep their hobs clear after a kitchen fire in Langenhoe was started when a dog turned a hob on earlier today.

Crews were called to Mersea Road, Langenhoe at 1:41pm after a neighbour called us when hearing smoke alarms going off. 

On arrival, crews reported the kitchen was heavily smoke logged and worked to extinguish a fire on the hob. 

Watch Manager Doc Holliday from Colchester Fire Station said: “We’d like to praise the neighbour who acted quickly when hearing smoke alarms to call us and helped to get the dogs out of the house before we got there. If you ever hear smoke alarms going off, please dial 999 and report it to us, don’t assume somebody else has. 

“We often see incidents like this where items have been left on the hob which then gets turned on by accident, by children or curious pets. Our advice is to always keep your hob clear once you’ve finished cooking and if you have an electric hob, switch it off when you’re not using it.”