Two pet owners are urging people in Kent to keep their hobs clear and switched off after their cats’ caused fires.

In Rochester, Gizmo and Pip, five-month old Maine Coon kittens, were shut out of the lounge so their owner could do some household chores in peace.  

The kittens are believed to have started playing in the kitchen and knocked the hob turning it on. There had been some items left on the hob which then caught alight.

The owner said: “I heard the fire alarm go off and went out the lounge to find smoke in the kitchen.

“I quickly shut the door and got out of the house, with the kittens, and called 999.”

Two fire engines were called to the home on Maidstone Road at 11.42pm and crews, wearing breathing apparatus, used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire which had been contained to the kitchen because the door had been closed.  

She continued: “I just want to warn people about what can happen as I never thought my kittens could turn on the hob. I’ll be making sure to keep my hobs clear of items and turned off at the wall and would advise others too as well!”

Just four days earlier, crews from Herne Bay attended a near-miss incident at a flat in Herne Bay.

Two fire engines were called at 8.05pm to reports of a small fire in a kitchen.

When crews arrived, the resident was out of the flat and the fire had extinguished. Firefighters checked the kitchen, where the fire started, and ventilated the property.  

The resident said: “I woke up to the smoke alarms going off and smoke filling the flat. I quickly ran into the kitchen, and I could see items on the hob smouldering and quickly turned it off.

“I grabbed Binks, my cat, ran out of the flat and called 999. The crews got here so quickly and made sure everything was okay, they were wonderful!”

It’s believed Binks jumped up on the counter to look for some treats and accidentally turned on the hob, which had a tray and bread on it. As the resident had caught the fire in it’s early stages, the damage was contained to the hob.  

She continued: “I didn’t even think this could happen, but I won’t be leaving anything on my hob again!”

In 2024, crews attended 12 incidents where pets were believed to have caused fires in the kitchen.