THE fire service has praised the actions of the occupiers of a home in Purewell this evening after a fire started in a kitchen.

Crews from Christchurch were sent to the property at 7.06pm after a pan of fat left under a grill caught light when the grill was turned on instead of the oven by mistake.

A spokesman for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: “The occupiers were very lucky, as they smelled the smoke even before the smoke detectors actuated.

“The occupiers' swift actions in calling the fire service immediately and leaving the kitchen and closing the doors meant that the damage was confined to the cooker and the kitchen.”

Although the cooker itself suffered moderate fire damage, the kitchen escaped with light smoke damage, the spokesman added.