FIREFIGHTERS tackled a kitchen fire in Gooderham House, one of the three tower blocks in Chadwell St Mary just before 9am today (Friday, 13 November).

A team wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire in one of the properties in the building.

Firefighters have issued safety advice after a kitchen fire was caused by cereal boxes left on a hob.

Crews from Grays, Orsett and Corringham were called to the fifth storey flat at 8.27am and they found a small fire in the kitchen area and fully extinguished it by 8.49am.

Watch Manager Kevin Hercock said: "The family had left the flat and when one of the occupants returned he could hear the smoke alarm sounding.

"He looked through the letter box and saw smoke and did exactly the right thing - he stayed out and called 999.

"They think their toddler must have been playing with the hob and unfortunately they had left cereal boxes on top of it, which caught fire. It shows how important it is to keep your hobs clear when they are not in use.

"Thankfully the family had closed the kitchen door before leaving the flat which limited the smoke damage to the rest of the property."

Firefighters used a fan to ventilate the smoke. The cause has been recorded as accidental.

The incident has prompted the first service to issue the following reminder about kitchen safety:

More than half of accidental fires at home are started by cooking - follow our cooking safety advice to stay safe in your kitchen.

Avoid leaving children or animals unattended in the kitchen

Make sure saucepan handles don't stick out – so they don't get knocked off the stove

Keep anything flammable away from the cooker and hob at all times

Take care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk