Fire

The toddler was playing a game

A two-year-old girl is believed to have started a fire in Ashford today.

The little girl was playing at being ‘mum’ and put a cardboard lid from a game into the oven and turned it on.

A fire crew attended the scene in Ottenden Close just after 2pm after the homeowner smelt smoke, got her children out of the house and called 999.

Luckily, the fire had burnt itself out when crews arrived but the two-year-old was given oxygen by fire fighters as a precautionary measure and was checked over by ambulance crews.

The fire caused minor damage to the oven and the surrounding work top.

Ashford watch manager Jim Smart said: “Children of this age are unaware of the potential dangers of fire and should never be left alone in a room where there is a fire risk.

“Just three breaths of fire smoke can be fatal but babies, children and older people are most at risk if a fire breaks out in their home, as their bodies are less able to cope.

“Luckily this was a fairly minor incident and the fire was detected quickly. However, the outcome could have been very different if the fire had continued undetected.”