Firefighters tackle air fryer fire in Mersea Road, Langenhoe

Firefighters from Colchester and West Mersea were called to an incident on Mersea Road, Langenhoe, at 5.31am today.

On arrival, they confirmed a fire in the kitchen had been caused by a faulty air fryer, leaving the property with heavy smoke damage.

A man was given oxygen therapy by firefighters at the scene after suffering smoke inhalation.

Fire - several plug sockets were overloaded (Image: ECFRS)

Crew manager Dave Farrant said: “When we entered the house we could see it was badly smoke damaged. The majority of the fire was already out but it was still smouldering.

“When inspecting the kitchen we also noticed a number of overloaded plug sockets. Please be careful as plugging too many electrical appliances into one socket can lead to overheating.

“Fortunately the residents had working smoke alarms which meant they could get themselves and their dogs out of the property safely and wait for us to deal with the fire.”

The senior firefighter recommended that residents register their appliances at registermyappliance.org.uk.

The free Register My Appliance scheme makes sure people are the first to hear about known faults and appliances.

“Registering your appliances is a quick and easy way to help keep your family safe,” he added.