CURIOSITY nearly killed a cat after it sparked a house fire by climbing on top of a hob.

Laura MacNeill, 22, was awoken by a smoke alarm just before 6.40am yesterday and discovered the ground floor of their home in Kenley Close, Wickford, was smoke-logged.

She grabbed her two cats, Batman and Robin, and ran out of the house before dialling 999.

Firefighters arrived and put out the small blaze, which is thought had been started by the inquisitive young cat, Batman.

Partner Richard Sweet, 24, got a phone call about the fire when he was at work.

He said: “The cat had jumped on top of the cooker during the night and somehow turned the stove on.

“We think it was most likely Batman as he is the one who seems to have found he can climb on to the kitchen counter.

“There was a plastic chopping board on top and it melted it through.

“There was a little bit of smoke upstairs, but it was so unbearable downstairs, Laura had to get out. She coudn’t be inside for more than three minutes before she started feeling ill.

“I didn’t know what to think. I was working in Dagenham and the house was burning down.

“It’s pretty weird – we’ve only be here two months and I thought we’d burnt the house down.

“I’m glad I checked the smoke alarm when we moved in.

“It could have been worse – there was a wooden chopping board on the top as well.”

Thankfully Laura, Batman and Robin escaped uninjured and there was only minor smoke damage to the home.

Wickford and Rayleigh firefighters put out the blazewithin 20 minutes and used a high pressure fan to clear the smoke.