A family’s pet dog unwittingly caused a kitchen fire after a freak series of events at a flat in Dedham,

The dog managed to switched on the hob which then set light to a bin placed on top and resulted in the dog having to be rescued by firefighters.

Now firefighters are warning people to keep objects away from cookers following the drama in Crown Street, Dedham, shortly after 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 17.

Crews had been called after a neighbour heard the smoke alarm in the property.

On arrival firefighters forced their way into the property, as the homeowner was out at the time.

The kitchen was filled with smoke and there was a smouldering fire on the hob.

Crews then rescued two dogs from the kitchen and extinguished the fire by 8.10pm.

An investigation into the fire concluded that it was accidentally started after the hob was turned on by one of the pets, setting alight bin which had been placed on top.

The bin had been moved on top of the hob to keep it away from the dogs.

Watch manager Stephen Smith, from Colchester Fire Station, said: “Always keep your cooker and hob area clear - even if you’re not intending to turn it on, there’s always a chance it can get accidentally turned on.

“Thankfully in this case the contents of the bin were not particularly flammable, meaning the fire did not spread quickly, and instead turned into a slow smouldering fire.”

As the kitchen door was closed, the smoke damage was contained to the kitchen.

Firefighters also highlighted the importance of having a working smoke alarm.

If it wasn’t for the neighbour hearing the alarm, the situation could have been much worse.

Mr Smith added: “Although the smoke alarm had been sounding for some time, the neighbour had assumed that it was a false alarm.

“It wasn’t until the neighbour went out, came back and realised the alarm was still going off that he called the fire service out.

“We always urge people to take note of their neighbour’s smoke alarm - if you hear it, give them a knock to check everything is okay.

“Smoke alarms can warn us, and others around us, of the first sign of fire and should always be taken seriously.”