A FREAK fire caused by a toaster ended with a Maldon man having to flee his home and move into alternative accommodation.

The drama was played out at a ground floor flat in Cherry Garden Road yesterday (Sunday, 28 March) when the town's on-call firefighters rushed to the home to deal with the blaze just after 1.33pm. They were backed up by a second crew from Chelmsford.

Maldon Fire Station Watch Manager Martin Cable (BEM) takes up the story, saying: "The occupant had come home and put his shopping bags on his kitchen worktop. He accidently turned on his toaster with one of the bags and the next thing he knew, his kitchen was on fire.

"He was understandably upset but he did the right thing when he noticed the fire; he got out, stayed out and called 999.

"Maldon's crew quickly extinguished the fire and Chelmsford's crew took over and damped down; it was good work by everybody involved."

Crews extinguished the fire by 2.13pm and used a fan to ventilate the property. The kitchen was badly damaged and the rest of the flat sustained smoke damage so the relevant authorities were contacted to arrange alternative accommodation.

Firefighter Cable, who featured on Maldon Nub News last December when he was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Year's Honours list said smoke alarms were sounding when crews entered the flat and added: "We want every home in Essex to have a working smoke alarm on every floor. If you or someone you know doesn't have working smoke alarms at home, please get in touch so we can see how best to provide fire safety advice"

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The incident has also highlighted the work of the on-call firefighters like Mr Cable, who is a milkman and has worked as an on-call fireman in Maldon since 1975, and there is an opportunity to join his team in Maldon where firefighters are paid to protect their community

Essex Fire and Rescue is looking for people who live or work within five minutes of on-call fire stations including Maldon. Find out more via this link.