Neighbours call fire service after hearing smoke alarms

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of having working smoke alarms at home after a neighbour called us to a kitchen fire in Witham today.

Crews were called to Teak Walk, Witham at 2:11pm after a neighbour heard smoke alarms going off and could see smoke. The neighbour acted quickly to call us.

On arrival, crews reported that the kitchen of a house was heavily smoke logged.

Crews extinguished the fire and believe it was caused by an electrical fault in a plug socket.

Crew Manager Paul Mayes from Chelmsford Fire Station said: “It’s great the residents had working smoke alarms and these did their job by alerting the neighbours to the fire while nobody was home. 

“The neighbour did really well to act quickly in calling us and it shows how important it is to have working smoke alarms at home. They don’t just alert you to a fire, they can also alert neighbours and passers-by if you’re not home. if you haven’t got any, click here to book a free home safety visit and we can fit them for free.

“To help minimise the risk of electrical faults, we recommend switching electrical items off at the wall.”