Homeowner's lucky escape after kitchen fire

Adam Harkin had only just woken up when he noticed black smoke in his kitchen

The owner of a house where a fire started early on a Sunday morning has said he feels "lucky" to have been at the right place at the right time.

Adam Harkin noticed black smoke coming from inside his home in Glasgow Street, Northampton, just after 07:00 BST on 7 September.

He escaped barefoot, taking his dogs Paddy and Hattie with him, before calling emergency services.

Mr Harkin said he was also fortunate that his smoke alarms were working and said testing them "takes minutes".

Mr Harkin and his wife have lived at the house for about four years.

He said the experience had been a "massive shock" but that it could have been "a lot worse" had Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service not turned up so quickly.

"Black smoke appeared really quickly, I grabbed my animals and got out," he explained.

"Luckily I was in the right place at the right time to see it, which saved me some valuable time.

"Smoke alarms [and] Co2 alarms all went off. "

Adam Harkin left his house barefoot, taking his dogs with him before dialling 999

Scott Hirons, station commander at Mereway Fire Station, said smoke detectors "give people the best chance".

"He did totally the right thing, got his dogs outside and phoned us."

An investigation is being carried out to determine whether a faulty refrigerator caused the fire.

In the 12-month period to 31 July 2025, Northamptonshire firefighters attended 436 fires at residential properties.

Of those, 245 were recorded as being caused by an electrical appliance.

The fire service advises that smoke detectors should be tested monthly.