Wallingford cat starts kitchen fire after switching hob on

A cat started a fire by switching on a kitchen hob while its owners were out.

Crews were called to High Street, Wallingford, after the alarm was raised by the pet sitter on Wednesday.

In a scene reminiscent of a Sainsbury's TV advert starring a cat called Mog, the fire service said the puss knocked a plastic bag onto the electric hob and pushed the control with its paw.

A spokesman advised pet owners not to leave items near their cookers and to switch off hobs at the mains.

There were no injuries following the fire and there was minimal damage to the property.

Watch manager Terry Coupar said the owners were "lucky" the pet sitter arrived when they did because no smoke alarms were fitted at the property.

Mog, which also starred in Judith Kerr's book Mog's Christmas Calamity, accidentally turned on an oven, burnt the turkey and destroyed a Christmas tree.