SMOKE alarms saved a married couple's life when a fire started in their kitchen.
Fire fighters were called to an address in Saunders Avenue on Sunday after a fire started in the kitchen, thought to be caused by an electrical appliance. They received a call from the man who owned the house at around 2pm, who said that his wife was housebound and could not escape.
Station officer Steve Wintrip, from Braintree fire station, said: "Green Watch fire control operator, Joy Bingham, kept the worried man on the phone line as the fire appliances were sent to the fire.
"Joy advised the man to close the doors leading to the kitchen to contain the smoke and fire, and to stay at the rear of the property in the extension, reassuring the man that the firefighters were just minutes away."
When the three fire crews - two from Braintree and one from Coggeshall - arrived they found the couple at the back of the house and made sure they were taken to safety.
"Meanwhile, other members of the crew wearing breathing apparatus attacked the fire in the kitchen," said Mr Wintrip.
He added that it was likely the couple's three smoke alarms may have prevented a potential disaster.
"The couple's house had three working smoke alarms, which helped to save their lives, giving them that vital early warning that a fire had started in their home," he said.
The fire was extinguished within half an hour and, once it was out, crews ventilated the property using a high-pressured fan.
Fire fighters were called to an address in Saunders Avenue on Sunday after a fire started in the kitchen, thought to be caused by an electrical appliance. They received a call from the man who owned the house at around 2pm, who said that his wife was housebound and could not escape.
Station officer Steve Wintrip, from Braintree fire station, said: "Green Watch fire control operator, Joy Bingham, kept the worried man on the phone line as the fire appliances were sent to the fire.
"Joy advised the man to close the doors leading to the kitchen to contain the smoke and fire, and to stay at the rear of the property in the extension, reassuring the man that the firefighters were just minutes away."
When the three fire crews - two from Braintree and one from Coggeshall - arrived they found the couple at the back of the house and made sure they were taken to safety.
"Meanwhile, other members of the crew wearing breathing apparatus attacked the fire in the kitchen," said Mr Wintrip.
He added that it was likely the couple's three smoke alarms may have prevented a potential disaster.
"The couple's house had three working smoke alarms, which helped to save their lives, giving them that vital early warning that a fire had started in their home," he said.
The fire was extinguished within half an hour and, once it was out, crews ventilated the property using a high-pressured fan.