FIREFIGHTERS were called to a house on fire in North Oxfordshire while the homeowners were nowhere to be found.

At 12.27pm on Thursday, March 9, crews from Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue were called to the property in Barford St Michael, Deddington.

Smoke from a kitchen fire was billowing from the front door and had filled the property by the time engines from Banbury and Deddington pulled up outside. There was no-one at home at the time.

Crews entered the building wearing breathing apparatusand used high-pressure hoses to extinguish the blaze.

Ventilation fans were used to remove the smoke.

Crew manager Mike Aspinall of Banbury Fire Station said: “The owner of the house had returned home to find the smoke alarms in her house activating. On opening the front door the house was full of smoke so she called the Fire Service immediately.

“The family were very lucky that no one was in the property at the time of the fire, if this was early hours of the morning it could have been a completely different outcome.

"It is important to check that you have working smoke alarms and also that all electrical appliances that are not designed to be left on are turned off and unplugged before leaving your home.”