A fire which destroyed part of an Aberdeen home yesterday while the owner was out on an errand was started by a dishwasher which was left on.
The house fire broke out on Gray Street, in Aberdeen’s West End, at around 12pm and quickly spread from the kitchen area of the home, causing “severe” damage to the building’s rear.
Five fire appliances – including a height vehicle – were sent to the scene from Altens, Aberdeen Central, North Anderson Drive and Dyce.
A Gray Street resident said she opened her front door to see “black smoke billowing” out of the house yesterday afternoon.
She said: “The smoke was coming out from under the roof, it was a wee boy across the road that spotted it, his mum called the fire brigade. It was bad, black smoke (was) billowing out. The firefighters opened the door after it just came whooshing out.”
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was contained within the ground floor.
Fire and rescue station manager, Mike Cordiner, said: “The fire originated in the kitchen at the rear and grew full in the property. The initial team that went into tackle the fire were faced with a well-developed fire.
“Crews were also dispatched on the upper level of the house to prevent fire spread behind the plasterboard walls. The nature of the fire was quite severe.
“Most of the fire damage has been contained to the kitchen area, however extensive smoke damage has taken place throughout the property.”
He added: “I would stress to anybody to make sure that they refrain from using dishwashers and washing machines when there’s no one in the house or left on when going to their bed at night.”