FIREFIGHTERS were called after a pan caught fire in Blackburn.

But the occupants were only alerted to the blaze, in Leamington Road, when their neighbours called the fire brigade complaining they could see smoke in their own house.

When the two fire crews arrived, the source of the fire could not be found, so they checked on the house next door.

They discovered that the occupant had fallen asleep after putting a pan of noodles on to cook.

The kitchen was smoke logged but nobody was hurt in the incident at 8.35pm on Sunday.

Fire crew manager Damian Hartley said: “If the person in the house had had smoke alarms it would have alerted them to the fire.”

To get your free smoke alarm and home fire safety check, call 0800 1691125.