Tumble dryer starts kitchen fire

Crews were called to a property in Cornwall Gardens, Braintree, last night after a tumble dryer caught alight and started a kitchen fire. 

The resident had been woken by her smoke alarm and discovered the fire in her kitchen. 

When firefighters arrived they quickly surrounded the fire and extinguished it by 11.50pm. 

Watch Manager Gary Shinn said:

"This woman's smoke alarms may have saved her life - thankfully they woke her to the first sign of fire which gave her time to get out of her home. 

"With Christmas around the corner, we've all got so much on our minds, but making sure you have working smoke alarms on each level of your home means you'll have one less thing to worry about. 

"I would urge people not to run appliances such as tumble dryers, washing machines and dishwashers while they are sleeping. You're much more likely to be injured or worse if a fire starts while you're sleeping."

The casualty suffered some smoke inhalation and was left in the care of the Ambulance Service. 

The kitchen has suffered fire damage and the property has suffered smoke damage.