Warning over cats starting kitchen fires

In the first fire, a young family were woken in the middle of the night to find that their kitchen was on fire.

The blaze started after the cat switched on the hob and the heat caused a nearby packet of baby wipes to ignite.

Station commander Jason Masterman said: ‘This is not the first time this has happened and we would reiterate our warning about switching off appliances when you go to sleep or leave the house, particularly when there are pets and young children around.’