A 77-YEAR-OLD man had to be rescued from his home following a kitchen fire yesterday morning.

Fire crews were called to a bungalow in Seventh Avenue at 9.15am after a neighbour raised the alarm.

The man was led from his bedroom to safety by fire fighters. His home became smoke logged after a frying pan caught fire, which sooner caught the extractor hood and the rest of the kitchen.

The Red Cross Fire and Emergency Service vehicle was called to the incident to assist the man, who didn’t sustain any serious injuries.

The two crews from Chelmsford wore breathing apparatus and used one hose reel to extinguish the fire by 9.30am. They then used a thermal image camera to check for any remaining hot spots.

Station Officer Graeme Williams said: "Crews were called to the detached bungalow when a neighbour raised the alarm after they noticed smoke coming from the property.

"The fire had started in the kitchen when a frying pan had caught fire which then quickly caught light to the extractor hood and the rest of the kitchen.

"The bungalow had become smoke logged and when the crews arrived the resident of the property, a 77 year old man, was in the bedroom. Firefighters in breathing apparatus entered the bungalow extinguished the fire in the kitchen and located the man and led him out of the property to safety."