People living at Elliston House in Ipswich were evacuated from their homes amid fears a fire started by a chip pan could spread throughout the building.

Ipswich Star: Crews from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service put up a cordon outside Elliston House in Ipswich Picture: OLIVER SULLIVANCrews from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service put up a cordon outside Elliston House in Ipswich Picture: OLIVER SULLIVAN (Image: Archant)

The premises in Elm Street was evacuated after crews were alerted to a blaze in the kitchen at roughly 5.30pm, Saturday, June 1.

Crews put a cordon in place as they ushered residents from the building on the edge of Ipswich town centre.

Incident commander Simon Hirst, of the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The fire was well-developed and contained inside the kitchen, although there has been extensive smoke damage inside the property.

"It was started by an old-fashioned chip pan.

"Crews wore breathing apparatus and used hose reel jets to tackle the blaze, and are now cutting away inside the kitchen to assess the extent of the smoke damage behind the extractor hood."

Mr Hirst confirmed the male occupant of the flat was not injured, although was left shaken. He also stressed the importance of smoke alarms to ensure residents' safety.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes shortly before 6pm after the fire was extinguished.