CREWS tackled a house fire in Osney, Oxford, after logs stored next to the woodburner caught alight whilst the owner was out.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned residents of using woodburners over the cold nights and festive months after the fire on Wednesday.

A neighbour spotted the smoke alarm going off at a house in Arthur Street and called the fire service about 8.20pm.

Crews battled through thick smoke throughout the house and found it was caused by logs being stored nearby the hot woodburner.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service incident commander watch manager Richard Woodward said: "Solid fuel fire safety tips can be found on our 365alive website and these will help everyone enjoy using their fires at this colder time of year.

"I would specifically remind the public not to store wood or place any other combustible materials immediately next to wood burners or boilers as the heat transfer is tremendous.

"On this occasion the occupiers of the house had working smoke alarms on each floor that alerted a neighbour and allowed plenty of time for us to intervene and resolve the incident."