A PENSIONER fled her home after a dishwasher sparked a kitchen fire in Lower Earley last night.

The woman, believed to be in her 70s, raised the alarm at around 9.15pm after her smoke alarms went off and she found flames coming from her dishwasher.

Firefighters from Whitley Wood and Wokingham Road rushed to the detached house in Kerris Way and used breathing apparatus and hose reels to douse the flames before clearing the smoke with a ventilation fan.

The flames caused serious smoke damage to the kitchen but crews praised the woman for containing the fire by closing the doors and following safety advice.