Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have urged homeowners to check their home appliances after a fridge caught fire in St Neots.

One crew from St Neots, one crew from Huntingdon and one crew from St Ives was called to a flat fire on Linton Close, Eaton Socon on Saturday afternoon.

Crews arrived at around 2pm to find a fire in a flat of a three storey block of flats, which they evacuated.

After an investigation into what had caused the fire, it was deemed as accidental and

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters used one hose reel to extinguish the fire, followed by a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the smoke.

The fire was the second of two flat fires that were dealt with over the weekend but on-call fire-fighters.

Crews were also called to a flat fire in Little Paxton on Friday afternoon at around 1:30pm.

Fire-fighers from St Neots and Huntingdon were called the scene, and exsitigusehed the fire.

No-one was left hurt and both crews returned to their stations by 3:50pm. The cause of the fire was accidental.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued advice after the two flat fires, warning homeowners not to overload plug sockets and to make sure that all households have a working smoke alarm.

Group Commander Kevin Napier, Head of Community Fire Safety commented:“There are a number of things people can do to help prevent a fire in the home.

“Remembering to register both new and older household appliances is a vital part of keeping your home and family safe from the risk of fire.

“Registering your appliances means the manufacturer is able to contact you swiftly when needed. This guarantees the household will receive any relevant safety messages, allowing the owner to respond immediately.

“We know that appliances are kept for many years and very few people realise that they can also register older models. These are the products that are most difficult to trace if a safety repair is ever needed and only their current owners can let manufacturers know that they have them.

“You should also switch off and unplug all electrical equipment when not in use – other than things that are designed to be left on, like freezers and fridges, and make sure that plug sockets aren’t overloaded.

“It’s also really important to have a working smoke alarm on each floor of the property that is tested regularly. A smoke alarm is the single most important thing you need in your home - it will alert you to a fire and give you precious minutes to escape to safety.

“In the event that there is fire in your home, our advice is always to get out, stay out, call 999, and wait for the fire service to arrive.”

For more information visit: www.cambsfire.gov.uk/electrical-safety-616.aspx.