Firefighters were called to a fire inside a flat on Westmoreland Street in Harrogate this morning after an occupant fell asleep with a candle left on top of a ceramic hob.

The hob had been left on for about five hours before the occupant was woken by their smoke alarm, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report.

On discovering the fire, the occupant used a fire blanket to contain it before crews arrived.

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough, who were summoned at 4.49am, carried out an inspection of the property and allowed residual smoke to clear through natural ventilation.

Crews also provided the occupant with advice on home fire safety to help prevent similar incidents in the future.