TWO fire crews rushed to the scene of a blaze located in a quiet Witham road this afternoon.

Essex County Fire and Rescue crews from Colchester and Chelmsford attended a property in Teak Walk, Witham, today, June 27, at around 2.11pm.

The crews had been alerted to a kitchen fire after a neighbour heard smoke alarms going off and could see smoke coming from the home.

Upon arrival to the scene, the kitchen of the house was “heavily smoke logged” and the flames were soon extinguished.

Crew Manager Paul Mayes from Chelmsford Fire Station said: “It’s great the residents had working smoke alarms and these did their job by alerting the neighbours to the fire while nobody was home. 

“The neighbour did really well to act quickly in calling us and it shows how important it is to have working smoke alarms at home.

“They don’t just alert you to a fire, they can also alert neighbours and passers-by if you’re not home.

Essex County Fire and Rescue believes the first was caused by an electrical fault in a plug socket.

It is advised to switch off electrical items at the wall socket to help minimise the risk of electrical faults.

If you don’t have a fire alarm, Essex County Fire and Rescue offers home safety visits and can fit them for free.

To find out more, head to essex-fire.gov.uk/book-home-safety-visit.