Cambridge firefighters had a busy Christmas Day as they were called to several house fires.
While many people were enjoying the festivities and tucking into a Christmas dinner, firefighters from Cambridge Fire Station’s Red Watch responded to several emergencies.
Christmas morning fires
At 9 am on Christmas morning the crews, along with the south roaming fire engine and an on-call crew from Linton, were called to a house fire involving a roof at Egerton Close.
The fire spread quickly from the loft resulting in significant damage to the property, meaning the family had to stay with nearby relatives. The fire was caused by an electrical fault in the loft. Later in the day, the crews were called to another house fire in Hauxton. The crews arrived at around 1 pm to find a fire involving oil in a frying pan.
no injuries
It’s important to clean these areas regularly and keep them free of grease, as this can make a fire spread very quickly"
The flames spread through the kitchen but the crews managed to prevent it 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, fortunately, no injuries in either incident, however, both properties were badly damaged as a result of the fires. The crews were also called to other emergencies, but these turned out to be false alarms.
simple-to-use tool
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 assess an elderly or vulnerable relative property.”