There was a lucky escape for residents at a home in Blackbird Leys after a blaze caused by an unattended tea light this weekend.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a fire at Warburg Crescent in Blackbird Leys at around 05.02am on Saturday.

On arrival fire appliances from The Slade and Rewley Road fire stations discovered the flat had smoke issuing from the bathroom.

Fire Crews entered the building wearing Breathing Apparatus and extinguished the fire using a high pressure hose reel jet.

The fire had destroyed a plastic toilet cistern and then spread up into the ceiling and loft space.

Station Manager Gary D’Anger said: "Quick intervention by the fire crews attending prevented this fire from spreading throughout the flat and into other properties.

“A fire investigation later discovered that this fire started due to tea light type candles being left alight on top of the plastic toilet cistern.

"The heat from the base of these candles caused the  plastic cistern lid to ignite and then spread to other parts of the bathroom.

"A smoke alarm had been fitted into the building but wasn’t working.

"This type of incident highlights the dangers of inappropriately placed and unattended candles.

"All homes should be fitted with adequate smoke alarms and these need to be tested on a regular basis to ensure they operate."