by Emma Grove

A couple whose kitchen was destroyed by fire have praised the firefighters who saved the rest of their home.
David and Glenda Brown, of Drake Avenue, Minster, have also warned others after an everyday chore nearly cost them everything.
An electrical fault in the couple’s three-year-old dishwasher caused the fire, which happened at about 8.45pm last Wednesday.
Mrs Brown had put the dishwasher on and gone to watch the television in the living room, which adjoins the kitchen.
She heard a noise and fire alarms rushed into the kitchen, where she was met with flames engulfing the dishwasher.
She grabbed the couple’s two labradors and ran outside to phone the fire brigade.
Firefighters managed to put the fire out before it spread to the rest of the bungalow.
The kitchen was destroyed and will need to be re-fitted and even some of the kitchen windows smashed in the heat.
The walls and ceiling of the living room have been damaged by smoke and the smell of smoke is everywhere.
Mrs Brown, 57, said her first thought was for all the photographs of the grandchildren, but everything of sentimental value was saved.
She said: “It was a bit of a shock – I came rushing out into the kitchen and there were flames shooting out everywhere.
“Thank God I was in the house – if I wasn’t I would have nothing.
“The fire guys were brilliant and I couldn’t fault them.
“The fire alarms really did work, I would absolutely recommend everybody gets them.”
Mr Brown, 58, who wasn’t at home when the fire broke out, said he rushed home as soon
as he heard.
At first he thought it wouldn’t be too bad, but as he drove along Scocles Road, he saw the smoke.
He said: “I came home to see all the hoses snaked through the house.
“We were lucky, very lucky as the whole place could have gone up.”
They estimate the cost of the damage to be £10,000.
Mr Brown also said that going out and putting on an electrical appliance is something people do all the time without thinking about it, but his advice is if you switch a dishwasher or appliance on then don’t go out.