An Essex woman made a lucky escape from her burning home after being alerted to a fire by her smoke alarm.
The blaze broke out in the kitchen of the property in Montbretia Close, Stanway, around 7pm yesterday.
The homeowner was upstairs when she heard the smoke alarm sounding so she rushed out and phoned the fire brigade.
On arrival, firefighters found the kitchen was fully alight and the fire was starting to spread upstairs.
The crews – two from Colchester and one from Tiptree – extinguished the blaze by 8pm.
Watch manager Darren Holliday, from Colchester Fire Station, said: “The homeowner was upstairs when she heard the smoke alarm so she quickly got out of the house and called 999, which was the right thing to do.
“This fire spread rapidly, so this shows how important it is to have a smoke alarm to alert you to the first sign of the fire.”
The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental, fire officials said.
The kitchen has been completely destroyed and the house has been damaged by smoke and fire.
Following this incident, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people that it can come and fit smoke alarms for free.
To arrange a fitting, visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.
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