A 90-YEAR-OLD woman has been rescued from a fire in her flat in Dorchester after she put a tea towel in the oven.

Crews from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service were called to one of the flats in Homechester House on High West Street on Sunday night.

The elderly woman was treated with oxygen therapy by firefighters and an ambulance crew.

The treatment took place at the scene and she did not have to be taken to hospital.

A spokesperson for FirstPort Retirement Property Services, the company which run the property, said: “We can confirm that there was a small oven fire in one of the apartments at Homechester House on the evening of Sunday, March 8.

“The Fire and Rescue Service was called and the fire was contained.

“The resident of the apartment was safely evacuated from the property and did not require any medical attention.”

It is believed that the woman had put a tea towel in the oven to dry.

A spokesman for Dorset Fire and Rescue said: “The safety message is clear. This is a very dangerous practice. Never attempt to dry items of clothing or linen in this way.”

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service control room received the call just after 10pm with reports of fire alarms sounding at the flats at the top of High West Street.

Dorchester town and district councillor Molly Rennie said the incident shows how vital fire safety is.

She said: “That just shows you how important it is and how lucky she was, I’m glad that she has got a smoke alarm.”

Cllr Rennie also wanted to highlight the work the fire service does with elderly people to keep them safe in their homes.

She said: “The fire service does visits to people in their own homes. It’s free through their partnership with Age UK and POPP (the Partnership for Older People Programme).

“They visit people in their own homes and give out free smoke alarms and free carbon monoxide detectors and when they come to do that visit they have a chat with the resident about all the things you can do to make yourself safe at home.

“All you have to do is to get a family member to phone the fire brigade or Age UK or POPP or another such organisation.

“I just think it’s a wonderful service and people might not know about it.”