A MAN had to be rescued by fire-fighters after his cooking caught fire at home in Stretham.

Fire crews from Ely, Soham and Burwell were called to a fire at Lazy Otter Meadows shortly before 7.30am on Friday.

Fire-fighters discovered a wooden structure, about 12 metres by six metres, on fire and managed to rescue a man from the flames, though the cabin was destroyed.

An investigation revealed that the fire was accidental and caused by unattended cooking.

Brett Mills, watch commander at Ely said: “When we arrived the fire had been burning for some time. Firefighters worked hard to prevent the fire from spreading to an adjacent cabin.

“This fire was caused by unattended cooking and it has destroyed a home and put a life at risk - this is a reminder of the dangers of leaving cooking unattended, even for a moment.

“If you do discover a fire do not put yourself at risk - get out, stay out and call 999.

“I’d like to thank the neighbour who spotted the fire, dialled 999 and guided crews to the location of the fire - his actions enabled us to get to the incident quickly, and every second counts in a fire.”

For more information on cooking safely visit www.cambsfire.gov.uk