A kitchen was set on fire and left "full of smoke" – because of the family dog
One U.K. family's home nearly went up in flames this week when their kitchen was set on fire and quickly filled with smoke. But the biggest surprise of the incident was the culprit – the family dog.
England's Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said that when responders arrived at the scene, the family's kitchen was "full of smoke." Firefighters had to use hose reel jets to distinguish the flames, which they were able to do quickly, before ventilating the property. All damage was contained in the kitchen.
"This morning we were called out to a kitchen fire which started after items were left on top of the hob," Watch Manager Rob Fossett said in a press release on Wednesday. "It had been turned on accidentally by the family's dog."
The source of the fire prompted a warning from the department, with Fossett urging people to "keep their hobs and ovens completely clear."
"If you have an electric hob, it's best to turn it off at the switch when you're not using it," Fossett said. "That way it can't be accidentally turned on by any pets."
Along with turning off the switch, the department also urged parents against leaving children unattended in the kitchen, keeping matches out of reach, turning off appliance heat when not in the room, keeping clothes and cloth items away from open flames and when cooking, making sure pot and pan handles aren't sticking out into walkways.
There have been numerous incidents beyond this English town of pets accidentally starting fires.
In 2022, security footage from a Parkville, Missouri, home showed a dog jumping on top of a stove, accidentally turning it on. Soon after, the stovetop was on fire as smoke spread throughout the home. Two dogs were recovered from the house and the fire was extinguished before there were any injuries.
A similar incident happened in 2018, when a German shepherd standing on its hind legs accidentally turned on its New Jersey home's stove and pushed flammable items that were nearby onto it. Circulating air from an operating ceiling fan lifted some of those burning items, dropping them onto a foam dog bed that then caught on fire. The dogs were able to escape and the fire was extinguished.