A FAMILY of six were forced to flee their home in Wilburton after a freezer caught fire as they slept.

Fire-fighters from Sutton and Cottenham and Ely were called to the blaze at Station Road at about 12.40am

The family were already out of the home when crews arrived and the fire-fighters quickly entered the home to find a fire affecting a freezer in a utility room.

They extinguished the blaze, which is believed to have started as a result of an electrical failure, and returned to their fire stations by 1.35am.

Mike Fishpoole, watch commander at Cottenham Fire Station said: “Thankfully the family had a working smoke alarm which woke them while the fire was still small, allowing them to escape from the home safety.

“As the family were asleep some distance from the utility room when the fire happened, it is unlikely that they would have woken up so quickly, if not at all, without it.”

For further information on smoke alarms, contact your local fire station or visit www.cambsfire.gov.uk.