A fire which took hold at a house in Hilton sparked into life after a pile of books was left too close to a lamp bulb.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Huntingdon and St Ives were called to High Street at about 2am following reports of a house fire.

A spoksman for the fire service said: “Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and positive pressure ventilation fans to clear smoke from the property.

“The cause of the fire was accidental; a lamp bulb was too close to combustible materials, namely books, causing them to heat up and catch fire.”

Firefighters remained at the scene until 3.30am.

Crew commander Dan Heathcote, of Huntingdon red watch, said: “The smoke alarms in this property sounded, which alerted the residents and enabled them to get out and call the fire service. Had smoke alarms not have been fitted or working, the fire would have been much more developed, potentially causing much more damage.

“Firefighters were able to put the fire out, which was on the ground floor, in the early stages of its growth meaning the fire damage was confined to the room of origin.”