Firefighters were called to a house in Bushey this afternoon when a cooker burst into flames.

Crews from Watford Fire Station were called to California Lane at 2.10pm when a pan of boiling oil ignited, sending flames shooting into the air.

A couple and their children escaped without injury and did not attempt to tackle the blaze.

Firefighter Derek Macleod said they had done the right thing. He said: “They did exactly what they should have done. If they had tried to extinguish it themselves they could have seriously injure themselves. They were right to wait for us to arrive.”

The kitchen suffered mild smoke damage in the blaze.