Paper on hob starts kitchen fire

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is reminding residents to keep their hob clear as soon as they have finished cooking, following a fire in Southend-on-Sea last night.

Crews were called to a kitchen fire in Eastern Avenue, just after 10pm.

On arrival firefighters were faced with thick black smoke coming from the property. They reported that the fire was contained to the kitchen but the rest of the property was heavily smoke logged. Firefighters quickly surrounded the fire and extinguished it and then cleared the rest of the house of smoke. 

Following an investigation the cause of the fire was recorded as accidental, and thought to have started after the hob, which was accidentally switched on, set alight to paper which had been left on top. 

The kitchen has suffered fire damage and the house has been left with smoke damage throughout.