A flat fire caused by a fridge freezer that left one person hospitalised has led to a warning from Cambs Fire about the importance of having working smoke alarms and not overloading plug sockets.

The advice comes after one person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after crews found smoke issuing from a first floor window of a Cambridgeshire flat and a fire in the bedroom of the house.

Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters used two hose reels to extinguish the fire, before dampening down the area.

Watch commander Jon-Paul Jones, who attended the fire, said: “Thankfully the resident had a working smoke alarm which alerted them to the fire, and a neighbour quickly called the fire service.

“Without a working smoke alarm and the quick-thinking of a neighbour, this fire could have been much more serious.

“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.

“The crews did a fantastic job to tackle the fire and bring it under control so quickly.”

A Cambs Fire spokesman added: “To reduce the risk of having a fire in your home, don’t overload sockets and make sure all appliances have been registered.”

“On Tuesday (January 29) at 12.55pm, one crew from Huntingdon and two crews from St Neots were called to a flat fire on Park Lane, Godmanchester.

“The flat was safely evacuated and all persons were accounted for.

“All crews returned to their stations by 3.10pm. The cause of the fire was accidental.”