A VACANT bungalow could have gone up in flames after a chip pan caught fire before an attentive neighbour sensed danger.

Two crews of firefighters from Clacton rushed to a semi-detached property in Kincaid Road, St Osyth, shortly before midday on Sunday.

Upon arrival they found a blaze in the kitchen before extinguishing it by 12.16pm after using a hose reel, two breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera.

It is believed the fire, which caused smoke damage to the kitchen, started accidently as a result of a chip pan being left on the cooker.

The occupants of the bungalow were out at the time of the inferno, but thankfully a neighbour heard their smoke alarm going off.

Peter Woodiwiss, Essex Fire Service crew manager, said: “The cooker may have switched on accidentally - the smoke alarm alerted the neighbours who called us.

“Incidents like this really highlight how important it is to have working smoke alarms.

“There could have been a lot more damage if the smoke alarm had not been there to give the warning."

Any Essex residents can book to have the Essex Fire Service fit a smoke alarm in their homes completely free of charge by visiting essex-fire.gov.uk.