An elderly couple had a lucky escape from a house fire thanks to an observant neighbour who spotted the smoke.
Firefighters from Wallington and Croydon were called to a chip pan fire at Staplehurst Road, Carshalton at 4pm yesterday.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “The house did not have a smoke alarm, the alarm was raised by a neighbour who saw smoke.
“The fire damage was restricted to a small part of the kitchen but the smoke damage was quite extensive and effected the whole house.”
The residents were not seriously injured but were taken by ambulance to St Helier Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The spokesman said: “We want to let people know that smoke alarms save lives and in the event of a fire people should get out as quickly as possible, closing all doors behind them.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here