A householder was fortunate not to be injured after a chip pan went on fire at his home in Derry.
A total of 15 fire-fighters attended the scene of the blaze at a bungalow in Westway in Creggan.
The alarm was raised by neighbours who heard a smoke detector go off in the house at around 5.50 pm.
Two fire appliances from Northland Road and a third from Crescent Link Fire Station in the Waterside raced to the scene.
Neighbours at first believed someone had been in the house at the time but when fire crews checked the property no one was at home.
It is believed the occupant had left the bungalow before the fire started.
Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the bungalow were confronted by dense black smoke.
The kitchen was gutted and there was smoke damage to the rest of the property.
An inspection of the property by firefighters revealed that the cause of the fire was an unattended chip pan.
The Fire Service have been running a campaign urging the public to get rid of dangerous chip pans and use deep fat fryers.
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