Cambridge fire crews tackle two house fires on Christmas Day

Warnings have been issued after firefighters raced to two house fires in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire on Christmas Day.

Firefighters from Cambridge Fire Station’s red watch were scrambled around 9am to tackle a blaze in the roof of an Egerton Close property.

The fire had spread quickly from the loft causing significant damage to the house, and forcing the residents to stay with nearby relatives.

The Cambridge firefighters were joined on the scene by the service’s south roaming fire engine and an on-call crew from Linton.

The fire was caused by an electrical fault in the loft, the service later confirmed.

Later in the day, the crews were called to another house fire in Hauxton. The crews arrived at around 1pm to find a fire involving oil in a frying pan. The flames spread through the kitchen, but firefighters managed to prevent it from going any further. The family was able to stay home following the incident.

A fire service spokesman said: “The fire was able to spread quickly due to build up cooking residue in the filters above the oven. It’s important to clean these areas regularly and keep them free of grease, as this can make a fire spread very quickly.”

There were no injuries at either incident, however both properties were badly damaged.

The crews were also called to other emergencies, but these turned out to be false alarms.

A fire service spokesman added: “Residents concerned about fire safety in their home can carry out a home safety check online. Our simple to use tool goes through each room of a house and provides an action plan to help reduce the risk of fire. The tool is also really useful to carry out an assessment on an elderly or vulnerable relatives property.”