A FEROCIOUS blaze has ripped through a family home after being ignited by a chip pan that had been left unattended.

Three fire engines were scrambled in the early hours of yesterday morning (July 15) after a semi-detached Darlington house was consumed by flames.

White Hart Crescent residents could only look on in horror as the fire spread from the kitchen to the rest of the home – believing a woman was trapped inside the burning building.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) crews responding to the call at 3.12am spent an hour battling the blaze before they could confirm that no one was inside.

The air around the Redhall house still smelt of smoke several hours after CDDFRS and Durham Police had launched a joint-investigation into the cause of the blaze.

Andy Bruce, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue group manager, said: “Crews were met with a very serious house fire and because it was so serious, it was an hour before it was confirmed that there was nobody in the house.

“What’s happened is that the householder has put some chips on late at night and then left the chip pan on a low heat.

“The oil has boiled off and there’s a low level of oil left behind which has ignited and the whole kitchen has gone up.”

A mother living close to the house said that she hoped the aftermath of the devastating fire would highlight the dangers of chip pans.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It was quite scary. I woke up after hearing a fire alarm going off because I thought it was ours, but it was the other house.

“I looked outside and thought there was a light on in the kitchen of the house so I went back to sleep but I was woken up again at about 3.30am with all the sirens and shouting.

“I’ve got kids and I was thinking about how quickly a fire can spread and how dangerous chip pans are.

“We’d rang the emergency services but you can’t do anything after that. It was shocking though.

“I hope it’s a warning to people with chip pans and that it can get out of control really quickly.”