A CHILD in Abingdon started a fire in his bedroom after playing with matches or a lighter, the fire service has said. 

Crews from Abingdon and Didcot were called to the blaze, which could have had 'tragic consequences' had it not been for working smoke alarms, at around 2pm this afternoon. 

On arrival at the Drayton Road property, the incident commander confirmed that the fire was in an upstairs bedroom and that everyone had been evacuated from the house, before sending in a crew. 

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the house and quickly put out the blaze.

A pressurised fan was used to clear the smoke from the home.

Watch manager Lee Swain from Abingdon fire station said: “This fire was started by a child playing with matches or a lighter in his bedroom. 

"Thankfully, working smoke alarms quickly alerted everyone in the house of the fire upstairs. 

"The actions of the people inside – getting everybody out of the house and closing the door of the room on fire – prevented any harm to the occupants of the house, and stopped the spread of fire and smoke from causing extensive damage.

"Without working smoke alarms this incident could have had tragic consequences and I urge everybody to check that their own smoke alarms are working properly and to ensure that they have an escape plan”.