A SLOW cooker burst into flames after being placed on a hob, resulting in a kitchen becoming engulfed in smoke.

Firefighters from Colchester were called to a home in Teal Close, Colchester, at about 1.10pm on Sunday.

After arriving at the property the two crews found the kitchen of the building was heavily smoke-logged.

Fortunately, fire alarms had alerted the occupants, who then managed to close the kitchen door to prevent the fire spreading further, before getting out of the property.

An investigation into the cause has since found a slow cooker has been put on to of a hob and caught fire after the hob was accidentally turned on.

Ian Ryder, watch manager at Colchester Fire Station, said: "Using your hob as a storage area or a worktop can be tempting but please never take the chance.

"Whether it's washing, tea towels or even items like a slow cooker in this case, it's incredibly easy to accidentally turn your hob on.

“If that happens and something is on top of it, a kitchen fire is inevitable - so please, keep your hob and oven clean and clear of clutter at all times.

"Thankfully the family in this home did the right thing as soon as they were alerted by their smoke alarm - they got out, stayed out and called the fire service out."