A HOUSE fire is believed to have started after an oven hob was accidently switched.

Firefighters are urging residents to triple check their hob is clear and turned off at the wall before leaving the house following a kitchen fire in Great Leighs.

Two crews from Chelmsford were called to Daisleys Lane, Great Leighs, at 9.45am yesterday (February 1) after a neighbour heard smoke alarms going off and saw smoke in the kitchen.

Fire crews reported the kitchen was heavily smoke logged and worked to extinguish a fire on the hob.

Crews believe the fire was caused when the hob was accidentally turned on, setting fire to items left on top of the hob.

Station manager Nick Singleton said: “This is a plea from us to keep your hob clear if you’re not cooking.

“We often see incidents where the hob has been accidentally switched on so our best advice would be to keep the hob clear if you’re not cooking and to triple check it’s turned off before you leave the house.

“We’d also like to highlight how important it is to have working smoke alarms at home.

"Because the resident had working smoke alarms, they alerted her neighbour who acted quickly to call us. This meant we were able to get there quickly and prevent it from escalating.

“We want everyone in Essex to have working smoke alarms at home and can fit them for free for anyone who needs them.”