Faulty bread maker caused kitchen blaze, fire service says

A faulty bread maker is thought to be responsible for a fire that ripped through an Ely kitchen early this morning.
Fire crews from Littleport and Chatteris were called to the fire on Orchard Estate at 6.36am.
Wearing breathing apparatus they extinguished the kitchen fire using a hose reel and cleared the smoke using a positive pressure ventilation fan.
Watch Commander Clive Allen, the officer in charge at the scene, said: “The fire was caused by a bread maker that had developed a fault during the night.
“It is not always advisable to leave electrical appliances running throughout the night as there is a risk they could malfunction and cause a fire.”

Smoke alarms alerted the family living at the property to the fire and they were able to safely evacuate their home and alert the emergency services.
Closing the doors around the house before they went to bed had helped to prevent the blaze from spreading beyond the kitchen, Mr Allen said.
“The family had a lucky escape as this fire could have developed very quickly.
“However by ensuring their smoke alarms were working and going through a well-planned bedtime routine of closing doors, they helped contain the fire and keep the damage to a minimum.”
The crews returned to their stations by 8.25am.