A faulty battery exploded and caught fire at a home in a north Essex village.
Firefighters from two stations were called to the blaze in Hawkwood Road in Sible Hedingham, near Sudbury and Halstead, at about 9.30am on Tuesday.
The blaze started after the battery was left on charge overnight in the property's kitchen.
The tenants of the home, who were unhurt, were alerted to the fire when their smoke alarms went off.
Steve Byrne, watch manager at Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, said: "This incident really demonstrates the dangers of leaving chargers on unsupervised.
"On this occasion, the occupants were fortunately at home and had working smoke alarms, but the outcome could have been far more serious.
"Faulty batteries are a common cause of fires in Essex. Please do your research on the item beforehand to make sure these are genuine goods with the CE mark and that they are not copies.
"Some products and their listings can look really genuine but the listing, product and its packaging should all be marked with the CE mark that shows it meets safety regulations."
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