A FAMILY from Carterton have been praised for their quick thinking in preventing a kitchen fire destroying the rest of their home.

At around 2:30pm on Saturday, two fire engines from Bampton and one from Burford responded to reports of a fire at the property.

On arrival, the first crew discovered a fire in the kitchen and a family anxiously waiting outside of their home.

Firefighters entered the property wearing breathing equipment and extinguished the fire using a high-pressure hose reel.

A large fan was then used to remove the smoke from the kitchen area and prevent smoke damage being caused to the rest of the property.

Watch manager Ed Maloney said: “The occupiers were inside the property when they were alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm actuating; realising the seriousness of the situation the occupants did the right thing and closed the kitchen door before exiting the property and calling 999.

“These actions coupled with a working smoke alarm ensured that the family were safe and that damage to their property was confined to the kitchen area only.”

He added: “I cannot stress enough the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home and the need to close doors when rooms are not in use, especially at night.

“As the pictures show, by closing the door to the kitchen as they escaped, the family prevented what would have been significant damage throughout the rest of the property.”