Kim and Lorne Waters, of Gascoigne Drive, spoke of their “lucky escape” and issued a safety plea to other homeowners.

The couple, along with their son and daughter and pet dog Cocoa, a two-and-half-year old brown Labrador, fled the house after their son noticed smoke coming out of the kitchen door at around 3.30am today.

They alerted the emergency services and two fire engines from Ipswich attended. Firefighters used one hose reel to tackle the flames and the blaze had been put out and brought under control by 4.10am.

Mr Waters, 46, said: “We were very lucky. If the kitchen door wasn’t shut, the fire would have spread upstairs to the bedrooms.

“The smoke alarms also went off a few minutes after our son came up and told us. That’s why it’s really important to have your smoke alarm checked regularly and have your kitchen door shut during the night.”

The blaze left the kitchen badly smoked damaged yesterday.

Mrs Waters, 50, said: “I was quite calm at the time of the fire, but (yesterday) morning it hit me. We obviously didn’t get any sleep during the night.

“I would like to thank the firefighters. They were here within 10 minutes and were excellent. I would also like to thank our neighbours Bev and Will for their help.”

A Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the cause of the blaze has been attributed to an electrical fault in the dishwasher.

A brigade spokesman issued the following advice to reduce the risk of electrical fires:

- Ensure plugs, socket and wiring is in good condition and not trapped under the appliance

- Ensue you have at least one working smoke alarm per floor and test it monthly

- Always switch off appliances when you go out or go to bed, close all doors and have a fire plan on how you and anyone who lives in the property can get out.

- If you discover a fire in an electrical appliance, switch it off if it is safe to do so, close all door, dial 999, leave your property stay out until the fire service arrives.