A SMALL dog was left locked in a Cricklade home as roast potatoes set fire to the kitchen.

Fire crews were called to the home in Thames Lane shortly before 1pm to find the Sunday roast unattended, the door to the house locked and the dog inside.

Using breathing apparatus, two firefighters entered the smoke-logged property and rescued the dog, before the crews put out the fire and cleared the smoke.

“It seemed there had been some people cooking their Sunday dinner and had gone out and left the food unattended,” said Cricklade watch manager Neil Vigor.

“It appears the fat from some of the roast potatoes ignited and started a fire in and around the cooker.

“When we got to the property, the house was heavily smoke-logged, and we found there was a little dog inside.

"We therefore forced entry to the property, let the dog out and turned to deal with the cooker.

“It was a small, elderly dog, which was uninjured, and a crew of two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went in to get it before clearing the smoke.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said: “At 12.50pm on Sunday afternoon we were called to Thames Lane in Cricklade after smoke was seen coming from the ground floor of a property.

“A crew from Cricklade and a crew from Stratton attended, and found the occupants were not home, so had to force entry.

"Two breathing apparatus were used in order to lead the dog to safety, with one hose reel jet used to put out the fire which was in and around the cooker.

“Ventilation fans were then used to clear the smoke.”

It is the latest in a series of kitchen fires attended around the county as crews have been called out to more than 18 incidents involving food or cookers.

Home safety manager Neil Chamberlain said: “National figures show that more than half of all accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen, and it is very worrying to have had so many of these incidents locally.

“When we look at the fires we’ve had in Wiltshire, there are definite patterns. Items such as tea towels or boxes being placed on or next to the hot hob, pans left unattended, fat on grill pans catching alight, or hot oil from chip pans splashing onto the cooker top and igniting.

“Happily, most of these fires weren’t too serious, but all could have been avoided with care.”

A full range of safety advice for when you’re cooking can be found at www.wiltsfire.gov.uk/kitchensafety.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service offers free home fire safety advice to householders – to see if you qualify for a visit, call 0800 389 7849 or visit www.wiltsfire.gov.uk