Students were evacuated after a kitchen chip pan blaze at a university halls building in Colchester.
Two crews from Colchester attended the building around 3.50am today at Boundary Road in the town and all Essex University students based in the halls were evacuated immediately after the fire alarm sounded.
On arrival, firefighters found the blaze in a second floor kitchen and managed to extinguish it by 4.37am.
The kitchen suffered fire damage and adjoining flats suffered smoke damage.
No injuries were reported, according to Essex Fire and Rescue Service.
Watch manager Richard Lark, Colchester Fire Station, said: "This incident shows how quickly a chip pan fire can spread and how much damage it can cause.
"Thankfully the students did the right thing once the pan caught fire - they did not attempt to extinguish it, but instead immediately left the building.
"I urge anyone who is cooking food in oil to follow our safety instructions."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here