A GRAYS woman fled her home after a toaster fire in her kitchen and has been praised by Essex fire and rescue for her actions in the emergency.

The drama played out at the woman's home in Mill Lane yesterday evening (Tuesday, 16 February) just after 6pm when the toaster caught fire.

The route out of the front of the house was blocked due to smoke from the fire but her escape route out of the back door was clear and she was able to get out of the house and call the fire service out.

She did not attempt to tackle the blaze herself which was dealt with by crews of firefighters from Orsett and Grays who had made the house safe by 6.55pm.

Watch Manager Mark Hampton from Grays Fire Station said: "The resident did the right thing when hearing her smoke alarms going off by getting out of the house, staying out and calling us out.

"She had a clear escape plan and route out of the house so we'd really like to highlight the importance of keeping your exits clear in your home and making sure everyone knows their way out of the house in the event of an emergency. Plan two ways out of the house in case one of them is blocked and take some time to practice your escape plan so everybody knows what to do if there was a fire.

"We'd also like to highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home, they're proven life savers and we recommend you have one on every level of your home."

Do you have working smoke alarms in your home?

If you or someone you know doesn't have working smoke alarms, Essex Fore and Rescue can supply them for free during a home fire safety.