FIRE services were called to a property on Hereford's Stirling Estate after neighbours heard a smoke alarm.
Two appliances attended the scene at around 5.20pm yesterday and entered the Franks Avenue property through a first floor window around the back of the building.
On the ground floor, the fire crew found a cooker with an electric hob had been left on with a glass bowl and a tea towel on top, causing the tea towel to burn.
Crew Manager Ian Robinson said: "The occupants were out and the neighbour had walked past and heard the smoke detectors operating.
"This incident shows the benefits of having working smoke detectors as the neighbour was able to alert fire services before the situation got any worse and caused more damage."
He added that free home fire safety checks are available to anybody who is concerned about the level of fire safety in their home, by calling 0800 0321155.
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