RESIDENTS of a house in Cowley escaped a blaze last night despite having a faulty smoke alarm.
Ten firefighters from the Slade and Rewley Road stations were called to the fire in Lytton Road at 9.20pm.
They found smoke coming out of the ground-floor living room.
The smoke alarm had only sounded after the occupants spotted the danger and left the house.
A spokesman for Oxfordshire Fire Service said the blaze was caused by an electrical fault in the main fuse box.
Firefighter Daniel Smith, who is based at the Slade, said: "This incident shows that anybody can be the victim of fire.
"Had the occupants been sleeping when the fire broke out, the delay in activation could have led to serious or even fatal consequences.
"We would like to take this opportunity to remind everybody to test their smoke alarms weekly, change the batteries annually and ensure they are fitted to the ceiling and not the walls.
"Instructions are provided with each smoke alarm and should be followed."
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