A SOHAM resident was forced to flee their home after a fire broke out on Thursday morning.

A fire crew from Ely and one from Soham were called to reports of a house fire in Heron Croft shortly after 9am.

The fire started in a faulty fuse box located in the kitchen and quickly spread to a fridge, causing the room to fill with smoke.

Four firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, used two CO2 extinguishers and one hose reel to put out the fire.

The kitchen has been severely smoke damaged and the rest of the house has also suffered heavy smoke damage. The owner of the home was in the property but managed to get out before firefighters arrived.

Crews returned to their stations by 10.30am.

The cause of the fire was accidental, believed to be an electrical fault.