A WARNING has been issued by the fire service after a kitchen was destroyed and a home left badly damaged in Daubhill.

The blaze took hold in the kitchen after a toaster burst into flames in Balmore Close.

Firefighters were called at around 11am on Saturday, after the occupant tried to put out the fire before it spread to the kitchen worktops.

The man, believed to be around 20-years-old and alone in the house, called 999 and escaped outside.

Crews from Bolton and Atherton put out the fire before it spread to the rest of the semi-detached home.

However, because the house doors were open at the time, the smoke spread through the rest of the property.

The heat of the blaze even melted the smoke alarm in the hallway.

Bolton watch manager Ian Ainsworth said the positioning of the toaster under a kitchen cupboard meant the flames caught on to the rest of the room.

He added: “It spread through a good portion of the kitchen and because every door in the house was open it was smoke damaged all over.

“There were several things unfortunate about it. The whole house was smoke logged and smelt because the doors were open.

“However, the most severe fire damage was to the utility door which was the only door closed. The utility room was fine though, which is a demonstration of why you should keep doors closed.

“We would also warn people, if you are going to put your toaster under a cupboard pull it out when you use it. Toaster fires don’t happen very often but when they do they can spread quickly.”

No one was hurt in the incident and the crews, who were on the scene for an hour, called on the Red Cross to provide victim support following the incident.