FIREFIGHTERS rescued three dogs after a kitchen caught alight while no-one was home.
Two crews from Colchester attended the scene in Egret Crescent, Colchester, after neighbours spotted smoke billowing from the property and raised the alarm.
When the brigade arrived shortly before 9pm on Sunday the kitchen was completely alight and no one was home at the time.
Three dogs – one dobermann and two spaniels – were rescued and, fortunately, unharmed.
Colchester crew manager Darren Waite said: "Firefighters did brilliantly well to contain this fire to the kitchen of this home - when we arrived it was spreading quickly.
"The neighbours' quick actions in calling 999 immediately when they noticed smoke made all the difference. If they hadn't, it might easily have been much more serious - particularly for the three dogs involved.
"This incident demonstrates once again that leaving materials on your hob, whether it's cooking items, washing, tea towels - or as we saw in this case, rubbish - is incredibly dangerous.
“If the hob is accidentally left on or turned on, then whatever is on it will quickly catch fire. Please, don't take the risk and never use your hob as a storage area."
The fire was extinguished by 9.35pm with its cause recorded as accidental.
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