Firefighters have highlighted the importance of smoke alarms after a blaze in an airing cupboard was quickly tackled causing only “limited” damage.
The fire was reported at around 2.15pm in a floor flat in School Lane, Mistley, after the owner found flames in their airing cupboard.
Crews from Colchester, Dovercourt and Manningtree attended the fire and had it out by 2.50pm, after which they used a fan to clear the property of smoke.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s watch manager Ian Ryder said: “Thankfully the owners were alerted to the fire quickly because of their working smoke alarm.
“On discovering the fire the owners closed the airing cupboard door, got out of the property and called 999, which was the right thing to do.
“Because the airing cupboard door was closed it also limited the fire damage, with the rest of the room only suffering from slight heat and smoke damage.”
The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental and is thought to have started because of an electrical fault.
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