A FAMILY with two young children had a lucky escape after a kitchen fire broke out at their home.

Crews from Caversham and Wokingham Road fire stations were deployed to Liverpool Road in Newtown earlier this afternoon.

It is believed the family used an electrical oven to cook chicken when a fault caused the appliance to combust.

The family escaped unharmed and did not require hospital treatment, with minimal damage to the kitchen.

However, fire fighter Alex Hatcher, who attended the incident for Wokingham Road, urged other houses to ensure they have working smoke alarms after fitting the detectors before he left.

He said: "We were called out to a small kitchen fire at around 12.30pm. Caversham Road were also in attendance.

"It was a family with two young children. They were cooking chicken and the electrical oven went up in flames.

"However, by the time we arrived, the fire had largely been dealt with, as the father managed to turn off the electricity and ensure the rest of his family were out of the house.

"We checked for any further risk of fire and isolated the power supply.

"Before we left we fitted smoke alarms they did not have any.

"It is really important families remember to have working smoke alarms fitted in their homes and that they are checked on a regular basis.

"Thankfully nobody was harmed, but we would urge people to have the smoke alarms fitted."